The 16 State Museums dependent on the Ministry of Culture have recorded a total of 774,717 visits in the summer of 2024 – an increase of 12.66% compared to the summer of 2023 -, with increases of more than 30% in museums such as those of America (18,362 visitors, 34.28% more) and the Museum of Anthropology (21,789 visitors, 31.91% more).
The busiest month has been August, with 276,816 visitors; followed by June, with 257,675; and July, with 240,226, in all cases with a better result than in the previous year. In addition, between July and August the number of visitors exceeded half a million, something that had not been achieved since the summer of 2016, according to the Ministry of Culture.
Among the museums in the network, managed by the Directorate General of Cultural Heritage and Fine Arts, the most frequented has once again been the National Museum and Research Centre of Altamira (Santillana del Mar, Cantabria), with a total of 129,866 visits, surpassing the last record. As last year, August was the month with the highest attendance at this museum centre, with more than 52,000 people.
The second most visited museum was the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, which received 114,430 visits between June and August, 10.76% more than in the same period in 2023.
It is followed, also in Madrid, by the Sorolla Museum, with 74,907 visits in its last summer before the renovation and extension works; and the National Museum of Romanticism with 59,334, a growth of 62.84% coinciding with the celebration of its centenary.
Other museums outside the capital that have improved their statistics are the National Museum of Roman Art in Mérida, with 54,953 visits, 8.09% more; and the National Museum of Ceramics and Sumptuary Arts ‘González Martí’ in Valencia, with 53,543 visits, 5.08% more.
However, the largest percentage increase was recorded by the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology ARQVA, in Cartagena, with a growth of 154%, reaching 26,200 visitors.
The Ministry of Culture has also highlighted the increase in visits to the National Museum of Sculpture in Valladolid, which has increased by 88.19% compared to the previous summer, reaching a total of 34,570 visitors; and to the Museo del Traje. Centro de Investigación del Patrimonio Etnológico in Madrid, which has exceeded 26,000 visitors, with an increase of 78.60%. Meanwhile, in Valladolid, the Museo Casa de Cervantes stands out with 9,194 visits, 46.59% more than the previous summer.