Top attractions failing to draw a home crowd
THEY are the landmarks that help define our national identity, attracting visitors from across the globe.
But new figures reveal a staggering number of Scots have never been to some of our most famous attractions.
One fifth have never been to perhaps the best known and most-visited tourist hotspot north of the Border – Edinburgh Castle.
Meanwhile, one in six Scots have never set foot in the biggest and arguably most vibrant city in the country, Glasgow.
The figures were revealed by charity the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in its campaign to encourage active holidays here in the UK.
Adam Brockett, BHF Events Manager said: ‘Scotland is bursting with incredible mustsee destinations and it’s a real shame that they’re going unseen by people who live in the country, which is why we’re encouraging residents to sign up to one of our treks.’
Of those asked, a third of Scots did not take a ‘staycation’ within Britain’s borders last year – instead choosing to jet abroad or forgo a break altogether.
And it was also revealed that we are making a poor effort to visit the landmarks across the rest of the UK.
Survey responses showed that 91 per cent have never visited the Brecon Beacons – one of the most impressive mountain ranges and national parks in the country.
Meanwhile, 83 per cent of us have also never made it to Stonehenge. A further 85 per cent have never experienced the grandeur of Britain’s oldest educational institutions in Oxford and Cambridge.
Despite lying just miles from the Border – and its huge significance to Scottish history – threequarters of us have never made a pilgrimage to Hadrian’s Wall.
To combat the 710,000 people in Scotland who suffer from heart disease the BHF is organising a series of treks, taking in the country’s best known but underappreciated sites.
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland said: ‘Scotland is a beautiful and unique country filled with breathtaking landscapes and awe-inspiring natural and manmade wonders, but we can all be guilty of taking it for granted and not taking the time out of our daily routines to discover what’s on our own doorstep.’
A separate report by the Heritage Lottery Fund found overseas visitors to the UK’s attractions such as theatres, museums and national parks spend more than double per trip compared with domestic tourists.
Foreign travellers spend an average of £560 on such visits, while the figure for UK-based overnight visitors is £210.
A total of £7.4billion was spent on heritage trips by overseas visitors last year, and Scotland was among the regions where the sector was most important.