Pay barriers and the admissions experience

Client: National Trust for Scotland
The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has over 300,000 members and generates over 4.5 million visits per annum across its portfolio of over 100 historic properties, gardens and nature reserves alongside 76,000 hectares of land it manages.

Planning Solutions Consulting worked with the NTS to benchmark six historic properties and estates to identify key lessons to help inform future decision making around the admissions experience and pay barrier options for heritage properties and wider estates. The benchmarking exercise has helped to identify and understand key issues related to:

• The sense of arrival
• Car parking and payment compliance
• Visitor flows from the car park to the main admissions point (the gateway to the property)
• Wayfinding and signage
• Accessibility
• The importance of interacting with staff and volunteers
• The role of the community
• Opportunities for membership recruitment
• Day to day operational parameters – during the peak and off-season periods

The work involved sites visits and engagement with key staff at the individual properties (both within the NTS and outside of the NTS).

This research and analysis helped to identify a range of strategic and practical site-based recommendations for the admissions experience – helping to improve visitor flows, the overall quality of the experience, visitor engagement and the income generation potential.

How can we help?
If you have any questions about the admissions experience and pay barrier options please don’t hesitate to call Richard Linington on 07866 742628 or email richard@pslplan.co.uk