Dartmoor Zoo reports visitor and revenue growth as 2026 plans unveiled

Dartmoor Zoo’s CEO, David Gibson, looks back at the past year and also ahead to 2026.

Key achievement was launching our new Gift Aid Annual Pass on the 1st of April 2025 and the impact that had on our business. 

Overall the year has seen our turnover increase by 19 per cent and our footfall by 12 per cent. 

Our local customers are more engaged and very much appreciate the value for money that the free annual pass represents.

We also launched a new Meerkat enclosure for Easter, celebrated new Meerkat pups in the summer and now an Amur Leopard cub in the Autumn.

Challenges for the sector include the ever-deepening cost of living crisis, fall in tourist numbers to the South West as a whole and increasing business costs through increased inflation, increased in NMW and employers National Insurance contributions.

The later added over £50k to our costs alone.

For 2026 we will launch a new Ring-Tailed Lemur Enclosure, open our new Outdoor Classroom and micro-forest, enjoy seeing our Amur Leopard cub go "on show" to our guests and, with luck, welcome a new litter of Carpathian Lynx cubs to the world.

We will also be launching a new visitor App in the spring which will make our guests experience at the zoo more enjoyable and immersive.

Our priorities are to continue to keep tight control on our business costs whilst improving our animal collection and visitor facilities.

Dartmoor Zoo is thriving and we are working hard to continually improve our animal exhibits and our visitor facilities. 

The Annual Pass is a fantastic way for you to enjoy our Zoo year round and by visiting us you will help us continue to invest and improve. 

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