In a report tabled at yesterday’s Otago Museum Trust Board meeting, museum director Dr Ian Griffin said the forest had attracted 73,000 visits in the 2016-17 financial year.
This was the highest attendance since 2012, and was 3500 up on the 2015-16 year.
The attendance reflected the attraction’s overall popularity and the success of a tropical forest/planetarium "combo offer", which had attracted nearly 9000 visitors.
The closure of Discovery World and the forest, at the end of last month, marked "an important moment" in the museum’s evolution, he said.
The forest will continue to play a significant part in the new Otago Science Centre, which will open in December.