EVERY household in Southampton will be offered free tickets to the city’s new Titanic museum.
Letters will be sent to every home giving people the chance to go to the £15m SeaCity Museum, which opens in April.
It is the first giveaway of its kind in the country.
Council leaders say the goodwill gesture is a way of saying thank you to the people of Southampton for putting up with hard economic times and it was right that they enjoyed free entry to a “world-class” museum telling the story of their own heritage.
Nearly 100,000 households in Southampton will be invited to use their invitation for free entry for a family of two adults and three children or three adults, worth up to £25, by the end of the year.
The offer excludes school holidays and the first week.
Councillor John Hannides, the cabinet member for leisure, culture and heritage, said: “This is a fantastic project and will put Southampton firmly in the national spotlight, attracting tens of thousands of people from around the world to our city.
“I am very pleased to offer these free tickets to our residents as we want local residents to be among the first to enjoy this world class museum. My message to residents is that this is your museum. The Titanic story is your story and part of your city’s heritage.”
The council claims its potential loss in income will only be £70,000 to £80,000 as it only expected 12,000 city residents to have paid to visit the museum.
Repeat visits and recommendations will more than make up the lost income, the council said.
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