Museum of Free Derry report £15.8m tourism boost with record-breaking visitor numbers

The director of the Glenfada Park museum, Maeve Mc Laughlin, said a recent survey conducted by the museum, designed in conjunction with Enterprise North West, confirmed that nearly seven in ten visitors cited the Museum of Free Derry as their main reason for visiting Derry, “underscoring the museum’s significance in attracting tourism to the city”.

The survey gathered responses from 274 visitors between January and December 2024.

In addition to its contribution to tourism, the Museum of Free Derry helped generate an estimated £15,821,358 for the local economy in 2024, with museum visitors reporting an average spend of £354.85 while they were in the city, a spokesperson said.

With increasing visitor demand and the success of a trial period of late openings in 2024, the museum is extending its hours to accommodate the expected growth in visitor numbers. New opening hours will be Monday to Friday: 9:30 am to 6:00 pm from April 7 to November 30, and 10am to 4:00 pm from December 2025 to March 2026.

It will also be open on Sundays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm from April 6 to November 30, and on Saturdays 10:00 am to 4:00 pm year-round.

Maeve Mc Laughlin said: “The impact of the Museum of Free Derry and political tourism in the north cannot be underestimated. Over £15million has been generated into the local economy through visitors. This is huge and now needs to be encouraged and marketed internationally.

"It is positive news that political/ peace tourism is now included in the new tourism action plan – what we need now is financial support to encourage more international visitors to come to Derry to hear the story of our people and place”

In terms of visitor demographics, 40.5% were from Ireland and Britain, 36.5% were from the US and Canada, and 23% from the rest of the world.

The total economic impact of £15,821,358.37 was calculated by multiplying the average spend per visitor to the museum (£354.85) by the total number of visitors in 2024 (44,586).