Haworth tourist attractions have seen a drop in visitor numbers in the past year.

The Brontë Parsonage Museum experienced a 3 per cent fall - 75,673 people visited in 2007, compared with 77,984 the previous year.

A spokeswoman said she understood the drop was a nationwide phenomenon, with many other heritage sites in Britain reporting a similar decline. She said school visits to the parsonage remained very popular, with 2007 visitor numbers in that category increasing by 13 per cent on 2006.

Haworth Tourist Information Centre said it dealt with 124,875 phone calls and face-to-face queries last year, a drop on 2006 when it handled more than 130,000 inquiries.

But despite the poor summer weather there was better news for attractions in Keighley. Keighley Bus Museum, based at the Riverside depot off Dalton Lane, does not keep exact visitor figures but David Jones, secretary of the museum's trust, said 2007 had mostly been a successful year compared to 2006.

Cliffe Castle Museum recorded a 16 per cent rise in visitor numbers.

A total of 75,468 people went through its doors in 2007, compared with 64,904 in 2006.

The Vintage Carriages Trust Museum of Rail Travel, based in Ingrow, reported a steady year of business - it was visited by about 10,000 people in 2007, a very similar figure to 2006.

Keighley and Worth Valley Railway spokesman Jim Shipley said the heritage line "held its own" last year, recording a 1.8 per cent increase in annual visitor numbers and an 8 to 10 per cent increase in income.