A popular Highland tourist attraction will benefit from a £1.5 million refurbishment led by its new management team.
The Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition is being taken over by Continuum Attractions under a long lease.
The Drumnadrochit attraction will remain closed while work is carried out to transform the experience to further “engage, entertain and inform” guests.
The takeover comes after the Bremner family, who have run it for more than 40 years, decided to move on.
Ronnie Bremner created the first exhibition in May 1980 alongside designer Tony Hamsworth.
They went on to form a partnership with Adrian Shine, leader of the Loch Ness Project, which remains in place at the centre today.
The updated attraction, which will be renamed The Loch Ness Centre, will open to visitors in the spring following 12 weeks of refurbishments.
Family retaining ownership
Outgoing managing director Robert Bremner said he and his brother, David Bremner, felt it was time “to hand over the reins”.
He said: “This is an exciting time for the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition.
“Retaining the authenticity of the attraction was always our priority and we know we’re in safe hands working with the award-winning team at Continuum, who have outstanding capability in authentic storytelling and creating an exceptional visitor experience, with a focus on tourism operators; while retaining the families ownership of this historic site.
“As a family, we have been in control of the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition for over 40 years and my brother David and I felt the time was right for us to hand over the reins to Continuum to develop the new and improved offering which will allow visitors to experience the history of the Loch Ness Monster by exploring Scotland’s geological past and folklore like never before.”
Promoting Scottish history
Continuum Attractions hopes its investment will “further unlock the mysteries and history” of the world-famous destination.
The company previously helped transform Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh into a five-star experience, and also works with ITV to provide Coronation Street and Emmerdale tours.
Chief executive Juliana Delaney said: “Continuum tells the real stories in real places about real people. The search for Nessie encapsulates all three.
“Having had tremendous success with the award-winning Real Mary King’s Close on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, I was keen to seek out another great Scottish story to tell.
“We found it on Loch Ness. This is a magical place – it could be our Jurassic Park, and if a monster hasn’t been found here yet, this is the place in which it will be discovered. So I will encourage everyone to ‘keep looking’.”
‘A world-class experience’
The Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition is rated five-stars by Visit Scotland and features seven themed areas exploring everything there is to know about Loch Ness.
In recent years, the team faced a “catastrophic flood” and the challenges of the Covid pandemic, but were encouraged by the increase in people visiting the area when they reopened their doors in 2021.
Michael Golding, chief executive at Visit Inverness Loch Ness, added: “As we focus on Scotland’s Year of Stories, it seems appropriate that it will be told through a new world-class visitor experience.
“We are delighted to welcome Continuum Attractions to the destination and are working with them to ensure the story and experience are authentically local for our 1.6m visitors annually.
“The destination continues to attract significant investment and collectively this ensures the area remains a must-visit destination in any visit to Scotland.”
Conversation