The Alton Towers Resort attracted 2.7 million guests in 2011, almost 300,000 down on the previous year.
Visitor numbers for the resort – which include the theme park, water park and hotels – were revealed in a transport assessment report accompanying a planning application for a new rollercoaster in 2013.
The document revealed that 3 million guests visited in 2010, the opening year of the Thirteen rollercoaster.
2011 was notable because it was the first year in which no new major attraction was added to the theme park for decades.
New figures
The transport assessment document, which was carried out by a third party on behalf of the resort’s operators Merlin Entertainments, conflicts with previously-reported attendance figures for 2010, which were reported as being around the 2.7m mark.
It revealed an average daily attendance of 11,500 guests, with term-time weekdays in October attracting as little as 4,000 people.
The report projects that total visitor numbers will remain below 3 million guests for this year and next.
It estimates that the installation of the 2013 rollercoaster – currently dubbed SW7 – will attract an additional 150,000 guests to the resort.
A survey is quoted in the assessment that states 85% of guests in 2008 travelled by private car, with an average of 3.6 people per vehicle.