Great Tapestry centre's annual visitor figures lowest on record

The Great Tapestry of Scotland centre in the Borders has recorded its lowest full-year visitor figures since it opened in 2021.

The details are contained in a performance report on Live Borders - the charity which operates the site - which went before councillors this week.

The centre recorded 22,303 visitors in its first full-year of operation in 2022/23 and exceeded 22,000 in both of the following years.

However, figures dipped to 20,962 in 2025/26. Live Borders said the fall was in line with other sites in the region and it had "exciting plans" to develop the attraction in future.

The £6.8m tapestry centre has 160 panels charting 420 million years of Scotland's history, heritage, innovations and culture.

The centre was funded from public money on the strength of a 2016 business case which predicted more than 50,000 paying visitors would arrive each year.

However, numbers have failed to reach half that level since it opened.

The Galashiels site of the centre was agreed a decade ago after it initially being intended to be located at the Tweedbank terminus of the Borders Railway.

It was seen as being a major catalyst for regeneration in the area.

Figures show it remains the third most popular attraction run by Live Borders after two sites in Jedburgh - the Mary Queen of Scots visitor centre and the town's castle jail museum.

In its first partial year of operation, the Great Tapestry site saw 12,386 visitors.

That was followed by 22,303 in 2022/23, 22,115 in 2023/24, 22,413 in 2024/25 and 20,962 in 2025/26 - a drop of about 6% on the previous year.

Overall figures for all sites showed a fall of 4% across the same period.

Catriona McAllister, Live Borders chief executive, said the site was performing similarly to other attractions in the region.

"The Great Tapestry of Scotland's visitor numbers remain broadly in line with tourism trends across the Scottish Borders," she said.

"While the sector continues to navigate economic pressures and changing visitor behaviours, the Great Tapestry of Scotland is still one of the region's most popular visitor attractions.

"Looking ahead, we have a number of exciting plans and new opportunities in development that will further enhance the visitor experience at the centre, and we look forward to sharing more details soon."