The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) reported that Chester Zoo is the 15th most visited attraction in the UK with 1.4 million visitors in 2012.
Chester Zoo is England’s most visited attraction outside of London and the most visited UK wildlife attraction
Related: Chester Zoo’s MD Barbara Smith on Why it’s All Happening at the Zoo
Chester Zoo’s Director General, Dr Mark Pilgrim said, “For the second year running we have stolen a march on attractions outside of the capital – every year we bring something new for the visitors to give them the very best day out. We had a host of new arrivals last year with our breeding successes including elephant and rhino calves, giant otter pups, orangutans and other species, all of which have been important for conservation but also a big draw for visitors.
“The zoo is constantly evolving and we were the first to bring robotic dinosaurs to a UK zoo. This year we’ll be notching up another first with 13 fantastic animatronic bugs. Exhibitions like this are a great platform to educate visitors about some really important species but also provide extra touches to an already great day out!”
Chester Zoo is due to start work on the new Islands experience in early summer 2013. The £30 million project will transform a currently unused area of the zoo’s land into the islands of South East Asia. The islands will be linked by a series of bridges and there will be a journey on water. Plants and animals from the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Bali, Sumatra, Sumba and Sulawesi will make their home in the new exhibit including species like Banteng and the Sunda Gavial crocodile.
