Oxford University’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums experienced a significant increase in visitors in 2024, according to figures released today by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA).
Oxford University’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM) together welcomed 3,559,109 people in 2024 compared to 3,322,028 in 2023. This represents a 7% increase year-on-year, outperforming ALVA’s national average figure of 3.4%. Five years on from the pandemic, GLAM also exceeded its 2019 visitor figure of 3,501,286 – up an impressive 2% when compared to the average national decline of 8.8%.
The GLAM venues include four museums – the Ashmolean Museum, History of Science Museum, the Museum of Natural History, and Pitt Rivers Museum – as well as the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum, and the Bodleian Libraries. Three University sites were among ALVA’s top 50 most visited attractions in 2024. The Ashmolean Museum is ranked at number 33; the Bodleian Libraries ranked 37; and Oxford University Museum of Natural History ranked 40. Out of 382 organisations which submitted data, the Pitt Rivers Museum ranked 80, Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum was number 169; the History of Science Museum was 196.
Highlights include:
- The Ashmolean, Bodleian, Museum of Natural History, and Pitt Rivers all achieved their highest ALVA ranking since 2015.
- The Ashmolean’s visitors increased by 5% from 900,277 in 2023 to 942,692 in 2024 - making it the second most visited site in Oxfordshire.
- The Bodleian Libraries were enjoyed by 865,191 visitors in 2024, up 3% on the year.
- The History of Science Museum welcomed 179,346 visitors in 2024, achieving GLAM’s biggest post-pandemic leap in visitors (+21% compared to 2019).
- The Museum of Natural History greeted 834,604 visitors last year, up 9% from 768,986 in 2023.
- Oxford Botanic Garden & Harcourt Arboretum saw a 6% uplift in visitors to 227,573.
- Pitt Rivers Museum recorded an exceptional 27% increase, welcoming 509,703 visitors in 2024, versus 400,495 visitors in 2023.
Oxford University’s GLAM 2024 programme included the exhibitions Brueghel to Rubens: Great Flemish Drawings at the Ashmolean; Kafka: Making of an Icon at the Bodleian; About Time marked the History of Science Museum’s 100th anniversary with a brand new display of their founding collection, and Hawai'i Ma uka to Ma kai celebrated Hawaiian culture at the Pitt Rivers Museum. The Museum of Natural History recognised the 200th anniversary of the first scientifically described dinosaur with Megalosaurus 200, and led the extraordinary excavation of dinosaur footprints discovered at an Oxfordshire quarry. Oxford Botanic Garden offered a busy, seasonal programme of events, tours and workshops, while Harcourt Arboretum hosted their ever-popular Spring and Autumn Fairs.
Richard Ovenden OBE, Head of Oxford’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums, says:
‘It’s hugely rewarding to see the latest ALVA figures which clearly demonstrate the popularity of the University’s extraordinary visitor attractions and the treasures contained in them. I am very proud of our teams who have dedicated themselves to welcoming so many visitors from across the globe, bringing our numbers above pre-pandemic levels. With such rich cultural and scientific collections on offer in Oxford, and an exciting programme of exhibitions and displays scheduled for this year, we look forward to continuing to attract visitors to our Gardens, Libraries and Museums.’
