Colin Smyth MSP
South of Scotland MSP and Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Economy, Environment and Infrastructure Committee Colin Smyth has welcomed new figures from The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions which highlighted a growth in tourism across the are as ‘a clear and positive step forward’.
The report released yesterday (Monday 27 March) details the largest visitor attractions in the UK and showed a huge 15.6% increase in visitors to Scottish attractions. Across the UK the national average was 7.2% increase.
2016 was a record year for Scottish tourism.
The report detailed the top 250 visitor attractions across the UK had an incredible 9 attractions from the south of Scotland making the list.
They are:
· 133 Culzean Castle and Country Park (209,710 visitors, fall of -5.6% from previous year)
· 157 Burns Birthplace Museum (140,528 visitors, 28.6% rise)
· 183 National Museum of Flight (88,274 visitors, 15% rise)
· 200 Melrose Abbey (52,073 visitors, 9% rise)
· 212 Tantallon Castle (42,708 visitors, 2% rise)
· 215 Caerlaverock Castle (35,633 visitors, 7% rise)
· 216 Dawyck Botanic Garden (34,319 visitors, 1.6% rise)
· 223 Brodick Castle and Country Park (27,896 visitors, 12.9% rise)
· 228 Logan Botanic Garden (22,890 visitors, 2% rise)
Scotland’s highest placed attraction was the National Museum of Scotland which attracted 1.8 million people in 2016.
Discussing the report Colin Smyth MSP said:
“This report highlights two clear issues about tourism in Scotland. The first being that local attractions can and have shown to be a hugely important part of the offer to attract tourists to Scotland and secondly if promoted as well as attractions in the big cities, they could become even more significant pillars of the local economy.
The report shows that local attractions in the South of Scotland are punching above their weight and able to compete with some of the ‘big attractions’ despite clearly having fewer resource.
I welcome these figures as it shows the work done by the local councils and VisitScotland is making a difference. But we cannot be complacent. More needs to be done to ensure that visitors look to the south as often as they look to the Highlands and Islands or big cities when they are visiting Scotland.
We clearly have a positive range of good visitor attractions . We just need to fully market them”
For a full breakdown of all the results please visit: http://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=607
The list of Scottish attractions on the ALVA list (in order of UK ranking):
15 National Museum of Scotland
16 Edinburgh Castle
18 Scottish National Gallery
24 Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
25 Riverside Museum and Gallery
41 Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh
50 National War Museum in Edinburgh
57 Gallery of Modern Art
62 Edinburgh Zoo
68 Stirling Castle
84 Urquhart Castle
99 Scottish National Portrait Gallery
102 People’s Palace
103 Glasgow Cathedral
109 Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern One)
131 Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern Two)
133 Culzean Castle and Country Park
157 Burns Birthplace Museum
158 St Mungos Museum of Religious Life and Art
159 Culloden (one place above the Battle of Hastings battle site)
165 Burrell Collection (now closed for refurbishment)
171 National Museum of Rural Life in East Kilbride
175 Crathes Castle
177 Skara Brae
181 Inverewe Gardens
182 Doune Castle
183 National Museum of Flight
184 Provand’s Lordship
188 St Andrews Castle
190 Linlithgow Palace
194 Iona Abbey
198 Fort George
200 Melrose Abbey
203 Argyll’s Lodgings
207 Benmore Botanic Garden
208 Scotland Street School Museum
209 Drum Castle
210 St Andrews Cathedral
211 Bannockburn
212 Tantallon Castle
213 Falkland Palace
215 Caerlaverock Castle
216 Dawyck Botanic Garden
217 Pitmedden Garden
219 Elgin Cathedral
220 Blackness Castle
223 Brodick Castle and Country Park
224 Hill House
228 Logan Botanic Garden
230 Gladstone’s Land
238 Glasgow Museum Resource Ce