Yachts set to swap Cannes for Cumbrae
ONE is a sun-kissed beauty spot on the French Riviera – the other a wet and often bleak shipping town on Scotland’s West Coast.
But researchers hope superyacht owners will swap St Tropez for Greenock as they launch a drive to attract the rich and famous to the area.
The Glasgow Caledonian University team is involved in Cool Route, a European-funded scheme to develop a new yacht-cruising route which would be promoted internationally.
Part of the strategy includes attracting superyachts to the area, including the isles of Bute and Cumbrae, to help remote businesses share in the nation’s booming marine tourism industry.
An invitational brochure targeting superyachts has been produced and small businesses are being urged to register on an online platform which links local enterprises to ports and provides information on attractions.
The university’s Moffat Centre is providing logistical, business and marketing support to help increase the number of vessels and bring wealthy tourists ashore.
A superyacht owned by US billionaire Richard DeVos was spotted moored in Greenock this summer, while the 530ft Eclipse, owned by Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, was seen in Inverclyde and Rothesay in the summer of 2015.
The Cool Route runs around southern and western Ireland, across Northern Ireland and up the coast of western Scotland to the Faroes and Norway.