Aberdeen on board for tourism boom

There was a time when the prospect of Aberdeen generating £1billion a year from tourism was the stuff of dreams and not a realistic outcome.

How times have changed: the Granite City is on the up and tourism is creating a strong wave of optimism lapping around Aberdeen Bay.

Why should Aberdeen not share in the tourism pot that fills the coffers across scotland? The success of the Highlands in this sector is well known, and long may it continue, but Aberdeen seems at last to be getting its act togbether.

It might not have the Loch Ness monster or Culloden Battlefield, which Inverness boasts, but the culture on offer and its own special attractions are coming into their own. New figures show sharp rises in visitor numbers at several key attractions. These have been interpreted as clear signs of a tourist boom just around the corner.

Favourable tourist reports nationally about the hidden gems of north-east culture have also given things a lift. With the city masterplan gaining momentum, and the prospect on the horizon of cruise ships docking regularly in Aberdeen, a transformation in tourism is under way.

It is vital that all businesses and services are prepared and pulling together to ensure that tourism is one of the credible alternatives to relying solely on oil as the mainstay of the local economy.

“It is vital that all businesses and services are prepared and pulling together”