Forth ‘ to rival San Francisco and Sydney as bridge tourism global hotspot’
The Firth of Forth could rival S an Francisco, London and Sydney by becoming a leading destination f or bridge tour - i sm, according to Visits cotland.
The national tourism organisation believes the opening of the new Queens ferry Crossing could see the area emulate the success of San Francisco’ s Golden Gate Bridge, Sydney’s Harbour Bridge and Tower Bridge in London – all of which regularly attract millions of visitors every year.
And business manager for the sightseeing tour firm Forth Tours, Lesley Macinnes, said the draw ofthe new bridge would continue to bring a positive impact to the area.
She said: “There has been a massive amount of interest in the new bridge from conception through the varying stages of construction. We already have the Unesco status of the Forth Rail Bridge which draws peoplefrom all around the world and the new bridge has created a significant level of interest and I think it will continue to do so and continue to bring people to the area.”
The new bridge will open to traffic tomorrow and will be officially opened by the Queen on 4 September, which will mark Scotland’s entry into the history books as the only place in the world with three bridg- es spanning three centuries, in one location.
And as the world’ s longest three - tower cable - stayed bridge, the Queens ferry Crossing has already attracted worldwide attention for the use of modern engineering techniques and record- breaking statistics, including boasting the highest bridge towers in the UK at 210m.
Malcolm Rough ead, Visit Scotland chief executive, said :“Bridges, such as the Queensferry Crossing, are a lasting reminder of a nation’s engineering expertise and never fail to attract global interest.
“This impressive structure, which rather fittingly opens during the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017, marks Scotland’ s place in history as the only destination in the world to boast such a remarkable trilogy. This is undoubtedly a golden opportunity for tourism.”