TOURIST CENTRES TO CLOSE
Visit Scotland will axe 39
VISITSCOTLAND are to close almost two thirds of their tourist offices after footfall dropped 58 per cent in 10 years.
The national tourism organisation said two out of three visitors now access information online.
They plan to cut the number of information centres from 65 to 26 over the next two years.
Staff will be offered redeployment, retraining or voluntary redundancy.
Centres earmarked for closure include those at Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, Inveraray, Thurso, Aberfeldy and Braemar.
Those staying open include Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, Inverness, Kirkwall and Lerwick.
Decisions regarding the location of regional hubs in Dumfries and Galloway, the Borders and the Outer Hebrides will be made in the coming months.
In the meantime, sites in Peebles, Jedburgh, Gretna, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries, Tarbert and Stornoway will operate as normal.
VisitScotland chairman Lord Thurso said: “With three in four adults now owning a smartphone, a key focus is ensuring our digital communications provide succinct advice to visitors at every stage of their journey.”