Eden Project’s losses more than double as visitor numbers fall

The Eden Project has revealed tumbling visitor numbers and losses more than doubling after a difficult year that saw the attraction axe jobs.

The Cornish ecological centre reported a 10% drop in visitors in the year to March 31, to 543,000 compared with 604,000 the previous year, as it faced “more challenging trading conditions in South West tourism”.

The group slumped deeper into the red with pre-tax losses of £3.5 million, against losses of £1.5 million the previous year, according to the latest set of filed accounts.

It said it carried out a “major restructuring”, which led to 75 jobs being cut.

“The purpose of this was to implement some operating efficiencies and to reduce employment costs,” the group said.

The firm, whose attraction is based near St Austell in Cornwall, warned over job cuts in January as it looked to cut its wage bill by around 20%.

In its latest accounts, it flagged the “general inflationary impact of the UK Government budget 2024 and specifically the increase in the costs of national insurance contributions from April”.

The Eden Project is famed for its bubble-like structures and giant domes that house thousands of plant species.

It was designed by architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, who died earlier this month at the age of 85.

Despite the tough year for trading, the Eden Project said that for many, it is “seen as a ‘must visit’ location as well as ‘doing something new/out of the ordinary'”.

“Therefore, as in previous years, we saw a large proportion of first-time visitors along with welcoming back seasoned visitors,” it added.