The number of passengers carried by the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in 2005 rose by 5 per cent compared to the previous year.

The newly published statistics show a total of 117,600 people travelled on the heritage line.

The K&WVR said the 5 per cent rise was the third consecutive annual increase in passenger numbers.

Paul Brown, the K&WVR chairman, said: "These figures are good news for the railway and for tourism generally.

"We've extended the main season thanks to a series of popular special events and this is obviously reflected in the figures."

David Jones, the secretary of the Keighley Bus Museum on Riverside Road, said the group did not keep a record of the number of visitors as it mostly received informal sightseers.

However, he thought 2005 saw a slight decline in the number of tourists coming to the museum - possibly because of its location.

"We're a little down on previous years since we moved to the Riverside depot," he said.

"It's not a particularly pleasant environment for people.

"It's a bit gloomy and not very photogenic for the enthusiasts.

"We're also tucked away round the back, whereas we used to be a bit more visible."

He said this year the museum hoped to rekindle interest by organising more activities outdoors. Other destinations in the district said 2005 showed few signs of a tourism increase.

In Haworth the village tourist information centre reported little change in the number of visitor enquiries.

A spokesman for the centre said they dealt with more than 135,300 calls and face-to-face queries in 2005 - a very similar total to the 2004 figure.

However, a spokeswoman for the Bront Parsonage Museum said more people came to the Haworth attraction in 2005.

She said it received 86,085 visitors last year, compared to 85,506 in 2004. A National Trust spokeswoman said East Riddlesden Hall recorded a fall in the number of visitors last year. Trust Press Officer Helen Clark said 22,122 people toured the attraction in 2005, compared to 23,987 in 2004.

She said this year the National Trust hoped to tempt more people to the hall with a new programme of events and better marketing.

Paula Walsh, of the Bradford Industrial Museum, who collates visitor figures for Cliffe Castle, said nearly 49,000 people toured the building between April and November 2005.

She said she expected the final total for this financial year to be similar to the previous season figure of more than 66,000 visitors.