More than 300,000 visitors were welcomed on board the former Royal Yacht Britannia during 2002, making it the second busiest year since the ship opened to the public in 1998.

At 302,171 visitors, it represented an increase of 21 per cent on 2001, and was eight per cent higher than 2000.

The increase in visitor numbers, which bucks the trend in Scotland as a whole, is due to a number of factors, including the opening up of more of the ship to visitors as part of the move to Ocean terminal, publicity surrounding the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, and a continuing commitment by the operators of Britannia towards improving customer service.

The opening of much of the main deck area in October 2001, allowing visitors to see life ‘downstairs’, has proved popular, and with improved audio tours, new signage and more interpretations, has helped Britannia to gain a ‘Very Good’ rating from 75 per cent of her visitors, compared with 54 per cent in 2000.

The ‘Very Good’ rating in terms of value for money has risen from 70 per cent to 85 per cent.

Director Bob Downie said: “We are absolutely delighted that all of the improvements that we have made to the Visitor Experience as part of the move to Ocean Terminal have proved such a big hit with our visitors.

“This level of customer satisfaction is a fitting reward for all of the hard work undertaken by all our staff.

“There is no substitute for quality, and I would encourage all other visitor attractions to continuously reinvest in the quality of their visitor experience.”

Britannia decommissioned in late 1997 after more than 40 years in service.