The London bombings have frightened visitors away from the capital's major tourist attractions, according to figures released yesterday.
The National Gallery had 4.2 million visitors in 2005, 15.2% fewer than in 2004, and both Tate Modern and the London Eye received 12% fewer tourists, according to a survey by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva).
The association's director, Robin Broke, said the terrorist bombings on the London underground on July 7 and the failed bombings on July 21 had a "considerable impact" on the attractions of central London, especially on the 2005 domestic market throughout the summer holidays.
Numbers were also down for the Tower of London, which had 9.7% fewer entries, the Science Museum, which was down 7%, and the British Museum, down 6.8%.
Exchange rates may have also had a negative effect, with the US dollar remaining weak against the pound for most of the year, curtailing discretionary spending by many north American visitors, Mr Broke said.
Some attractions gained in popularity, such as Tate Britain, which had 1.7 million visitors, an increase of 58%. The bombings seemed to have displaced tourists to attractions outside the capital, such as Kew Gardens in Surrey, which saw a 25.6% increase in visitor numbers. The 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 2005 meant visitors flocked to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, where Nelson's flagship Victory is on display. It had a 22.4% increase in visitor numbers.
Some attractions, such as Alton Towers and Madame Tussauds, chose not to divulge their annual statistics, but most were open about the negative impact of the terrorist activity.
The director of the National Gallery, Charles Saumarez Smith, said about half the gallery's visitors normally come from overseas. "[The bombings] have influenced foreign tourists quite badly," he said.
In September last year the gallery launched an advertising campaign designed to stave off the negative effect of the bombings. "Traditionally it's been assumed we didn't need to advertise ... but obviously if we have declining numbers, we do," Mr Saumarez Smith said.
However, some things didn't change - Blackpool Pleasure Beach remained the most popular attraction. Although numbers fell by 3.3%, the amusement park, which features rides and family shows, still received 5,970,000 visitors.