Fears for famous British landmark as visitor numbers plummet and losses double
The Eden Project has announced its results for a challenging year, marked by a decline in visitor numbers, losses that have more than doubled, and significant job cuts.
The Cornish ecological centre saw a 10 per cent drop in visitor numbers, falling to 543,000 in the year to March 31 from 604,000 previously. This decline was attributed to โmore challenging trading conditions in South West tourismโ.
Pre-tax losses for the group deepened to ยฃ3.5m, compared with ยฃ1.5m the prior year, according to its latest accounts.
A โmajor restructuringโ was undertaken, resulting in 75 job losses.
โThe purpose of this was to implement some operating efficiencies and to reduce employment costs,โ the group said.
The firm, whose attraction is based near St Austell in Cornwall, warned of job losses in January as it looked to cut its wage bill by around 20 per cent.
In its latest accounts, it flagged the โgeneral inflationary impact of the UK government Budget 2024 and specifically the increase in the costs of national insurance contributions from Aprilโ.
The Eden Project in Cornwall 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 โseen as a โmust visitโ location as well as โdoing something new/out of the ordinaryโโ.
โTherefore, as in previous years, we saw a large proportion of first-time visitors along with welcoming back seasoned visitors,โ it added.
The group said restructuring efforts have helped put the business on a more stable footing for the year ahead.
Andy Jasper, chief executive of Eden Project, said: โProactive measures we took in 2024-2025 enabled us to stabilise our business through restructuring and control of costs.โ
As it heads into its 25th year, he said 2026 will be โpivotalโ for the group as it also looks to make the โlong-awaitedโ start to construction of its new eco attraction, Eden Project Morecambe in Lancashire, which is expected to open in 2028.
