Coach firm says it's making trips more local

That’s according to Lucketts Travel, in Fareham, which says it has seen an increase in the number of school trips it is running to Hampshire museums over those to the capital.

Last week figures showed the number of people visiting the UK’s major museums and galleries has dropped for the first time in almost a decade

According to a report by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, nearly 1.4m fewer people walked through the doors of the venues it sponsors, such as Tate Modern, the British Museum and the Imperial War Museum.

The Museums Association blamed security fears over terrorism and a possible lack of blockbuster exhibitions.

Lucketts says it has seen the trend but says a wealth of choice on our doorstep, rather than anything else, could be the reason.

Paul Barringer, sales and marketing director said: ‘We are very lucky in this part of the world in that we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to museums. We have the Mary Rose Museum and additions such as the SeaCity Museum in Southampton.

‘Schools don’t need to go far to access exciting learning experiences and we’ve seen that reflected in our figures.

‘Over recent years we’ve seen a real shift as more and more schools are choosing local museums.’