Quake City admission charges on the rise

Canterbury Museum has today announced admission charges to Christchurch’s only purpose-built earthquake attraction, Quake City, will increase from Monday 5 May.

Museum Director Anthony Wright says the increase is needed following lower than expected admission numbers during Quake City’s first year of operation.

“Even though more than 70,000 visitors have experienced Quake City and rated it highly, we’ve been running at a small loss for several months,” he says. “Quake City is not a profit-making venture. It has operational costs of almost $1 million per annum. As there is no funding for these costs, an entry charge of $10 per adult has been applied to meet them. We’ve kept the entry charge at a minimum as our gift to locals for the first year. However, with quake-fatigue affecting many in our community and tourist levels lower than expected, our predicted visitation figures have not been realised.”

Mr Wright says the Museum had budgeted for 81,000 visitors through Quake City in its first year, but only achieved 55,134 paid admissions since opening on 15 February 2013.

“In order for us to return to a break-even position, we’ve made the conscious and considered decision to increase the entry fee from $10 to $20 per adult. The admission rate for children will increase to $8 (currently $5 for those under 15 years or free if accompanied by an adult) and a family pass will be available for $45. Even with the price increase, Quake City, when compared with other attractions in Christchurch, remains a quality, low-cost, educational activity for both locals and visitors,” he says.

Quake City has been rated fifth out of 131 listed attractions in Christchurch on TripAdvisor.com and has an average ‘visitor satisfaction’ rating of 4.5/5. The Sydney Morning Herald rated Quake City as the number one attraction in Christchurch in an article published on 10 November 2013.

The new admission fees will apply from Monday 5 May. Locals and visitors to Christchurch have until the end of the school holiday period to experience Quake City in Re:START Mall at the original admission rate of $10, before the new charges apply.

ENDS

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