Aberfeldy tourist information centre to go in national shake-up

The tourist information office in Aberfeldy is to close under a shake-up by VisitScotland.

The tourism body is axeing almost two-thirds of its tourist offices as part of a radical approach to the “information revolution”.

The national tourism organisation said two out of three visitors now access information online, while footfall to its information centres has dropped 58% in the past decade.

It plans to cut the number of information centres from 65 to 26 “high impact regional hubs” in locations of greatest visitor demand over the next two years. Staff will be offered redeployment, retraining or voluntary redundancy.

The centres earmarked for closure include those at Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports, Inveraray, Aberfeldy, Thurso and Braemar.

Lord John Thurso, chairman of VisitScotland, said: “The way visitors access information has changed significantly.

“It’s time to switch our focus and investment into new and diverse initiatives to ensure we are reaching as many people as possible with the information they want, in the way they want it, when they want it.

“With three in four adults now owning a smartphone, a key focus is ensuring our digital communications provide succinct inspirational and informational advice to visitors at every stage of their journey.”

The 26 centres staying open include those in Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, Inverness, Kirkwall and Lerwick. Marc Crothall, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, said the group believed VisitScotland would manage the changes in a sensitive way.