The Royal Yacht Britannia has celebrated the fifth anniversary since she was opened to the public as a tourist attraction – and is running well ahead of forecasts.

The five-star visitor experience and exclusive corporate event venue is permanently moored at Leith, in Edinburgh, and has attracted more than 1.6 million people since 1998 – 60 per cent more than the original forecast.

She was recently voted runner up in the ‘Best UK Attraction 2003’ poll, and in the 50th anniversary year of her launch, customer research shows that the Yacht is Scotland’s leading visitor friendly attraction, according to the charitable trust that owns and operates her.

A visitor survey by an independent research company yielded a 100 per cent customer satisfaction rating; 84 per cent gave Britannia a top grade of ‘very good’ with he remainder declaring her ‘good’.

Bookings for corporate events are at a record high, and the owners hope that there will be more of the glitzy high-profile events which have peppered that past five years, including the Audi A2 launch in 2000 when a car was hoisted on to the Verandah Deck, and the 12 American investment bankers who arrived for their dinner in style – aboard three helicopters.

Britannia has built a list of regular clients, including the Institute of Directors, IBM and Ford.

Britannia Director Bob Downie, who has been with the ship since it opened to the public, said: “We are delighted at how successful Britannia has been as a visitor attraction and unique corporate event venue, and being voted Best UK Attraction 2003 runner-up was fantastic news.”