The Beacon Museum in Whitehaven is expecting a summer boost thanks to the Government slashing VAT on family tickets for visitor attractions.

From now and throughout the school holidays until 1 September, VAT has been cut from 20 per cent to five per cent on admission to theme parks, zoos and museums like the Beacon.

Heather Holmes, Customer and Visitor Experience Manager at the Beacon, said the reduction would be passed on to their customers and came at the perfect time.

"In today's climate with regards to the cost of living, being able to pass on a saving to the customer is perfect.

"Our price point is very competitive - we're one of the lowest in the area. So I think we're very competitively priced as it is, but any cost reduction that you can pass on is fantastic."

The West Cumbrian attraction will be using the flexibility of its online ticketing platform, fellow Cumbria-based TryBooking, to help make the price changes, having already seen increased visitor numbers, improved efficiency and a smoother experience for customers since its introduction.

The museum, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and was crowned Small Visitor Attraction of the Year at this month’s Cumbria Tourism Awards, introduced TryBooking after identifying the need for a more modern way of managing admissions, workshops and events.

Heather said: “When I took over the Beacon about five years ago, the challenge that was quite obvious was that we didn't actually have a booking system. It was very antiquated, every transaction was completed over the phone, which then led to loss of income as customers could not get through to speak to a member of the team.

“When I first came into post, phones were constantly ringing, queues were going out the door, the customer experience was not where we wanted it to be.

“it clearly wasn't reflective of what a modern organisation should be. We're now in a really good place.”

The Beacon is also in a good place to adjust to the reduction in VAT. Joan Lind, MD of TryBooking, said on these occasions she often thought of the behind-the-scenes team who her company was ready to help.

"When a change like this happens," she said, "my mind goes to the operational side: the people updating ticket prices, the staff adjusting processes and the managers trying to fit another project into an already packed summer schedule.

"From managing seasonal pricing changes to creating different ticket types, including family bundle tickets, our platform is designed to support teams, not create more work for them – especially when there are sudden policy changes to navigate.

"Anything we can do to reduce the admin burden and give teams one less thing to worry about is a win in my book.

"I’m excited to see how attractions make the most of this opportunity over the summer. Here’s hoping it means more families discovering brilliant museums, heritage sites and attractions that may not have otherwise visited."

Heather added that it came just in time for the Beacon's Carboniferous Monsters exhibition opening on 18 July, which will take visitors back to a period 100 million years before the dinosaurs.

The Beacon hosts around eight exhibitions each year, alongside a busy programme of workshops and events, and Heather said the flexibility of the system had been particularly valuable in managing capacity and compliance, while helping achieve a six per cent increase in visitor numbers in recent years.

“For myself, it's definitely reduced administrative costs and time, so my team can focus on building a better customer experience," she added.