Palace tries to win back tourists

The ballroom is 37.5m long and 18m wide

Buckingham Palace opens to visitors on Sunday, two days after the Queen Mother's 100th birthday.

But unlike Her Majesty, the royal residence has been falling in the popularity stakes amongst tourists.

Last year the number of visitors to the palace in central London fell for the first time. It was criticised by the Consumer's Association for being sterile and overpriced.

Palace officials hope that thousands of tourists will visit the palace during the eight weeks it is open to the public and have unveiled plans to make it a top summer attraction.

This year, the ballroom has been added to the list of state rooms on the tour for the first time.

The room has been the setting for grand celebrations since the reign of Queen Victoria.

High pound

At 37.5m long and 18m wide, it is the largest in the palace and is known to millions through television coverage of state banquets and royal investitures.

The decision to open Buckingham Palace to the public was originally seen as a placatory move by the Royal family, who wanted commercial funding as well as money from the public purse to pay for the building's upkeep.

However the high value of the pound has been blamed for the drop in visitor numbers at all of London's top tourist attractions.

Kensington Palace saw a rise in visitor numbers in 1998

According to the English Tourism Council (ETC) the Tower of London and Canterbury Cathedral also saw a fall in visitor numbers last year.

ETC chief executive Mary Lynch said the results were mixed.

"A number of historic properties have had a tough year, with the strong pound and falling overseas visitor numbers affecting many of the most popular ones."

But one royal property bucked the trend. Kensington Palace in London, the former home of Princess Diana, saw an increase of 32% in visitor numbers in 1998.

Buckingham Palace is open to the public until 1 October.