The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Tourism bosses raise concerns over future of visitor attraction after sale news
Edrington’s shock announcement has caused anxiety among tourism chiefs and politicians.
There are fears the sale could see the loss of one of the region’s best loved visitor attractions, but there was also hope that new owners could bring fresh excitement into the venue.
Caroline Warburton, VisitScotland’s regional leadership director for Tayside, said: “We’re sorry to hear the Famous Grouse Experience is set to close in its current form.
“The Famous Grouse Experience is a hugely popular five-star visitor attraction .”
She said: “We remain hopeful, however, that any new owner will see the tourism potential of the distillery and visitor centre, and VisitScotland will seek to work with them.”
David Smyth, who chairs the Perthshire Tourism Partnership, said: “It will certainly be sad to see it go, but with proper management it could be retained as a great visitor attraction.
“I’d like to view this as an opportunity for the area.”
Roseanna Cunningham MSP for the Perthshire South and Kinross-shire said: “While I welcome the assurance given by Edrington that the sale of the Glenturret brand is not expected to involve any redundancies, I cannot see how they can make that pledge on behalf of any future owner and this must be very disconcerting news for the 31 people employed at the distillery.
“I have no doubt whatsoever that, as the oldest single malt whisky distillery in Scotland, the Glenturret brand will be an attractive prospect for any potential buyer but I am anxious to get more detail and clarity from Edrington about this sale.”