500,000 Attend WTC Memorial Since It Opened
Some media outlets are spinning this as bad news, but I see room for growth and opportunity. 500,000+ people have visited the National 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center since it opened to the public on September 12.
That translates to 3 million visits a year. Not too shabby, but those numbers could be much higher; if you pushed the rate to 100%, you’d get 4.9 million. That’s why there’s so much room for growth and opportunity.
In order to access the memorial, one has to obtain a free timed ticket because the memorial planners recognize that there are issues with having so many people in a confined space surrounded by so many massive construction projects (1WTC, 4WTC, the transit hub, etc.).
So, does 30% absence rate on the timed ticket reflect something good or bad? I don’t think we have nearly enough information to know for sure. Do other museums and monuments that use timed ticket access have similar rates?
What can the memorial do to boost attendance further? I think it should allow some number of walk-ups who don’t have tickets. The idea should be to maximize attendance by easing the restrictions as quickly as possible.