Top Tourist Destination
As one of the top 10 tourist destinations in Ireland, Trinity College Dublin welcomes over 2 million visitors on campus each year. Trinity College has much to offer the culturally curious visitor including The Book of Kells and Old Library exhibition, The Science Gallery, The Zoological Museum and the student-led walking tours through the stunningly beautiful 40 acre campus.
Consequently, Trinity College Dublin is continuously working on improving and enhancing the visitor experience and as a result introduced a new Campus Tours Policy in summer 2017, the aim of which is to ensure a quality visitor experience and to provide accurate and engaging tours to visitors. It is also to make sure that all visitors are assisting in preserving the campus and supporting the educational facilities of the college.
Visitor numbers to Dublin and to Trinity have grown year on year, The Book of Kells and Old Library Exhibition saw over 964,000 visitors up 10% on last year alone.
Safeguarding the future
Trinity College wants to proactively address these issues and safeguard the visitor experience for future years. It is also of utmost importance that the practical day to day workings of the University are not impacted adversely.
The first phase of implementation of this policy took place during summer 2017. Trinity College identified and classified Tour Groups coming onto Campus and found that over 40% of Groups on Campus in the peak season (June-September) did not visit the Book of Kells or make any purchases in Trinity College retail outlets. This increased footfall and pressure on the use of campus facilities.
New Guidelines for Tour Groups
The second phase of implementation will begin at the end of March 2018 as follows
- All Tour Groups will be asked to enter Campus via Nassau Street.
- No Tour Groups can remain on Campus unless they have tickets or intend to purchase tickets for the Book of Kells.
- If Tour Groups want to tour the campus, they can arrange to do so via the Official Tour Provider - Authenticity Tours Limited.
- Security personnel will conduct patrols of Campus to ensure no Tour Groups are carrying out tours unofficially.
- Groups will be asked to leave campus if they have not purchased tickets to the Book of Kells.
"New developments this summer include a refreshed Book of Kells exhibition and a new visitor centre in Regent House."
New Developments
This summer, visitors will enjoy an enhanced visitor experience with new developments such as the refurbished entrance at Nassau Street, a refreshed Book of Kells exhibition and a new visitor centre in Regent House.
Greeting people as they enter from Nassau Street is a new nine-screen digital wall, wood paneled walling and ticket kiosks. The digital wall provides information on events being held on campus, things to see and do and improved wayfinding.
A team of Trinity Student Welcome Ambassadors will also be working during the peak tourist season, June to September, promoting the University’s venues and facilities as part of the Trinity visitor experience. These students are a real point of difference to visitors who enjoy engaging with them as they share insider knowledge on Trinity student life.
Further Information
You can purchase Book of Kells exhibition tickets online at www.tcd.ie/visitors/book-of-kells and further information on Authenticity Tours pricing and availability, including various language tours, can be found at www.tcd.ie/visitors/tours