BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — More than 40,000 people visited the new Titanic Belfast attraction in its first 12 days.
Spokeswoman Ashleigh Sinclair said Wednesday that 40,200 people had visited since it opened March 31.
That exceeds expectations announced last month when organizers said 100,000 tickets had been sold for the first five months of operations, through the end of August.
Tickets are timed to limit a maximum of 600 people in the facility each hour, but they've been sold out each day since April 2 and continuing through April 16.
"We always knew that Easter was going to be a busy time as we celebrated the opening of Titanic Belfast, but we're thrilled at the fantastic response from the public and the positive feedback we're getting," said Tim Husbands, chief executive of Titanic Belfast.
Titanic Belfast, which includes a roller coaster ride and interactive exhibits, sits beside the Belfast Lough dockside where the 46,329-ton vessel was built from 1909 to 1911 and set sail for her sea trials on April 2, 1912. Titanic began her fateful maiden voyage from the English port of Southampton eight days later, striking an iceberg just before midnight April 14 and sinking within hours with the loss of 1,514 lives.
