It’s hard to believe a quarter of the year has already gone and the return of light nights is here.
We were lucky to have enjoyed the Spectra, Granite Noir, the very successful Jazz festival and the announcement of the return of Nuart.
The Music Hall and Tivoli continue to book some real quality acts in music and general entertainment and HM Theatre has booked some brilliant shows including Blood Brothers, The Wizard of Oz and the Rebus classic, “A Game of Malice.”
The P&J arena also continues to bring quality shows to the area. I’m looking forward to the return of Jeff Lynne’s War of the Worlds -an absolute classic.
The announcement that the Tall Ships are to revisit Aberdeen is a welcome event.
Last time they were here it attracted over 100,000 visitors and the city was buzzing with excitement. Barbecues and street entertainment transformed the grey granite into a sparkling enjoyable city.
I think secretly I would love someone to give me a bright red jacket saying, “Visitors advice given here!” There are so many things for visitors to see here.
It was all looking very positive in my book, then the Visit Scotland Board announced it was closing its advice centres.
They have long given poor coverage to the city, in fact, the festivals I mentioned were all local initiatives, but nonetheless, the closure of their advice centres is a negative step.
The reason given is people can access everything online- something I would seriously dispute.
That is a false assumption. There is no one–point, which is contactable online, where you can find accommodation, eating places, the history of the hinterland, stunning views, merchandise and souvenirs from the area. And most important of all, someone you can discuss your requirements with.
Besides this, not everyone has access to online facilities and many who do may have difficulty navigating the various sites.
The change is probably more to do with the massive cut in their tourism budget of £8 million.
There needs to be a visitor centre near Union Square
Currently, VisitScotland is located on the corner of the Shiprow which has negligible footfall. Where it should be is in Union Square.
But there should also be some presence at the new harbour and the airport.
On several occasions, I’ve travelled on the X7 Stagecoach bus to Perth and it’s unbelievable the number of foreign visitors who take it to see the ruins of Dunottar Castle, at all times of the year.
Yet there is no indication on the bus advertising it passes there. When their visit is finished they then have to walk a mile back to the bus stop on the main road, and wait, sometimes for over an hour, for a bus to Aberdeen to arrive.
Wouldn’t it be useful if some local transport could be provided, so these visitors could return to Stonehaven, giving the people of Stonehaven the benefit of these tourists before they board the bus back to Aberdeen?
I recall several years ago knowing that Offshore Europe was coming up, the council in conjunction with the private sector, provided information packs both for taxi drivers to hand out to their customers, and hotels to place in their guests’ bedrooms, advertising the various sites and places of interest throughout the north-east.
It was very successful particularly, if they were accompanied by family, or friends which benefitted those areas where visitors had stayed after the show.
Local authority needs to work with the business community to boost north-east tourism
We only did it twice, then sadly the incoming council administration stopped the practice.
It is so important the local authority works in partnership with the business sector to encourage tourism in our area.
It’s possible to come to Scotland, see Edinburgh and Glasgow then head up the A9 to the beautiful Inverness area, cutting out Aberdeen – Scotland’s 3rd city – and the north-east entirely.
That’s true even if you travel by train.
Tourism is vital to the local economy. It creates thousands of jobs and encourages the development of the infrastructure.
Visitors enjoying a pleasant experience will always return and spend their money here.
That’s why we need to support local tourism. It pays dividends in the long term. Currently, the tourism industry is worth around £630m to Aberdeen alone. There is without a doubt room for that to grow.
Encouraging visitors to stay here overnight is really worthwhile.
Many businesses already promote their services to visitors, but a concerted effort in partnership with the public sector would be invaluable.
It is amazing that all political parties spout forth about boosting growth in the economy, yet here in Scotland in one of our vital industries, our government is imposing a massive £8m cut in funding for a valuable growth source affecting the north-east economy.
Len Ironside CBE is a former champion wrestler who served as an Aberdeen councillor for 35 years, with four years as council leader
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