Fears for famous British landmark as visitor numbers plummet and losses double

The Eden Project has announced a challenging year, marked by tumbling visitor numbers, more than doubled losses, and significant job cuts.

The Cornish ecological centre saw a 10 per cent drop in visitors, falling to 543,000 in the year to March 31 from 604,000 previously. This decline was attributed to “more challenging trading conditions in South West tourism”.

Pre-tax losses for the group deepened to £3.5 million, compared with £1.5 million the prior year, according to its latest accounts.

A “major restructuring” was undertaken, resulting in 75 job losses.

“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 per cent.

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 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 “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.

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: “Proactive measures we took in 2024-2025 enabled us to stabilise our business through restructuring and control of costs.”

As it heads into its 25th year, he said 2026 will be “pivotal” for the group as it also looks to make the “long-awaited” start to construction of its new eco attraction, Eden Project Morecambe in Lancashire, which is expected to open in 2028.