An Elgin councillor is convinced that staging more unique attractions in the town centre could hold the key to reversing declining footfall figures.
Recent studies revealed that shoppers were deserting the High Street in droves, in favour of retail parks along Edgar Road.
But, this week, it emerged that town centre trade had been bolstered by the popular Elgin Ice Festival, which began before Christmas and will conclude at the weekend.
Organisers have confirmed people have travelled from far and wide to skate on a rink set up on the Plainstones. And the nearby Scribbles restaurant has reported its busiest week since 2001, with customers flocking in every evening to enjoy hot drinks after skating sessions.
Elgin City South councillor, John Divers, yesterday welcomed news of the festival’s success.
Mr Divers is also a director of the Elgin Business Improvement District (Bid) group, which contributed funds towards the event.
He said: “Elgin Bid was set up to bring more people into the town, and obviously having something other than the usual street markets at Christmas has proved very popular.
“We do have certain festivals and events across the year, aimed at creating a buzz in the centre, and they have helped.
“But it seems that having unique attractions like the Elgin Ice Festival, as an extension of that, would pull even more people in.”
The winter spectacle was organised by the Caledonia Ice Skating club, and Mr Divers said Elgin Bid might investigate forging new bonds with other outside groups to help revive the High Street.
Scribbles owner, Faith Houlding, added: “A lot more people have been coming in at night after spending time on the ice.
“This has been a record-breaking Christmas for us, and the rink has definitely played a part in that.”
Elgin Ice Festival director, Jon Behari, has outlined plans to stage a larger version of the festival next Christmas.
He is already in talks with Moray Council about creating an expanded ice rink.
A series of town-centre “health checks” last year revealed footfall was plummeting across Moray and that vacancy rates were above average.