Britons are now leading their European neighbours when it comes to a spot of culture, a new survey reveals. According to the study, conducted by the Brussels-based Eurobarometer, Britain now takes the top place in nine key cultural measures. For instance, British citizens are more likely to have an awareness of important historical events, choose to read a book or visit an art gallery than those in countries such as Italy and France.
Historical monuments and sites proved to be the most popular cultural destinations, with 65 per cent of British respondents claiming to have visited at least one in the past 12 months. Theatre has also gained in prestige, with the 39 per cent of Britons who had attended a play in the past year resoundingly topping the European average of only 28 per cent.
Additionally, 52 per cent of British respondents chose to spend a day at an art gallery during the period. Although France is widely reputed to be the European capital of art, with the Louvre in Paris attracting a multitude of visitors each year, only 37 per cent of French respondents had visited an art gallery or museum in the past year.
In part this could be due to the number of UK museums and galleries which either choose to waive the admissions fee on certain days of the year or simply decline to charge for entry at all. During the recession, when many forms of entertainment became too expensive for consumers to enjoy frequently, sites such as the British Museum, Tate Modern and the V&A became popular thanks to their free entry policy.
In fact, this affordable form of cultural exploration has also helped to boost tourism levels, especially in London. Visitors from around the world are attracted to the novelty of free historical education – something which relatively few European capital cities offer on such a grand scale.
How do you think regional cities could encourage more people to visit museums and galleries in a bid to boost tourism and aid the local economy?
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