IT was a busy summer for Worcestershire tourism attractions with more and more people holidaying at home.

Visitor numbers boomed over the summer months. The County Museum at Hartlebury Castle, near Kidderminster, had a record-breaking August and attendance was up at Worcester’s Tourist Information Centre.

Between May and September, there was nearly 6,000 more visitors to the High Street Tourist Information Centre, compared to the same period last year.

September alone saw a 36 per cent increase – with 2,532 more people coming through the doors than in 2008. Rachel Robinson, visitor services manager at the County Museum, which saw 4,067 visitors pass through its doors in August, compared to 3,368 last year, said: “We’ve had a fantastic summer with record-breaking numbers.

“The family activities really helped bring in the crowds and with the re-opening of the State Rooms in July and August, coupled with our new permanent displays, there's been plenty on offer for a wide range of visitors. “Our group bookings have also really increased and we’ve had some fantastic feedback from members of the public who are looking forward to returning to the castle for our Christmas events.”

Yesterday, the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) revealed it has been a booming year for many of Britain’s biggest tourist hotspots, with visitor figures up by an average of 3.4 per cent.

The organisation said the rising popularity of ‘staycations’ was probably a major contributory factor. Angie Bolton, visitor services manager at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum in Foregate Street, agreed.

She said: “It’s certainly had something to do with it. People are looking for somewhere that isn’t going to cost them a lot, but will still keep the family entertained. We are free admission, so we fall into that category.”

Last year, almost 75,000 people visited the gallery and museum. Numbers for 2009 are slightly down, but the drop has been blamed on a change of opening hours.

“If our opening hours hadn’t changed, I’m confident that it would have been another record summer,” said Mrs Bolton. Iain Rutherford, museums, arts and heritage manager for Worcester City Council, said: “This has definitely been a positive summer.”