The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Outlander fans invited to audio tour of locations
TOURISM: Visitors can follow in stars’ footsteps at Scottish filming sites
Outlander fans can now take an audio guide around the stunning Scottish locations made famous by the TV phenomenon.
The digital audio guide, created by Geotourist in association with the national tourism organisation VisitScotland, allows fans to immerse themselves in the romantic adventure and follow in the footsteps of timecrossed lovers Claire and Jamie.
The Outlander Scottish filming locations tour, downloadable free from an app direct to visitors’ smartphones, comes as the TV series returns to UK screens for a fifth season on Monday on Amazon Prime.
Launched today, it includes landmarks from the first four seasons, such as Glen Coe, Doune Castle in Perthshire, Culross in Fife and Preston Mill near East Linton, East Lothian, with some doubling as locations in France, the USA and the Caribbean.
Jenni Steele, film and creative industries manager at VisitScotland, said: “The Outlander Scottish filming locations tour is a fantastic way for viewers to immerse themselves in the TV show and fall in love with Scotland, just as they fell in love with the story of Claire and Jamie.
“What better way to spend Valentine’s Day than to create your own romantic adventure in these unique settings.
“The impact of film and TV goes far beyond the production spend. With research finding that one in five visitors are inspired to plan a trip to Scotland after seeing it on-screen, the opportunities for the tourism industry are immense.”
Outlander was introduced to readers by American author Diana Gabaldon, 68, in 1991. A further seven novels and nine spin-off books have been published in 43 countries and in 39 languages, selling more than 35 million printed copies worldwide.
Adapted for television by Sony Pictures, film production continues to be based in Scotland starring Sam Heughan as Jacobite Highlander Jamie Fraser, opposite Caitriona Balfe as Claire Randall, a Second World War combat nurse transported back to the 18th Century and the eve of the Battle of Culloden.
The TV series has been credited with bringing the landscape and scenery of Scotland to a new worldwide audience since it first aired in 2014.
The so-called “Outlander Effect” has seen visitors flock to locations associated with the series.
Geotourist founder and CEO Shaon Talukder, who created the Geotourist concept, said: “We are proud advocates of using storytelling to help visitors and travellers enrich their experience and this multi-layered tour will do exactly that.”