30 Jan 2015
Loch Ness Monster to star in new tourism campaign for Scotland
BY Tom Anstey
The iconic landmark of Loch Ness in Scotland – supposedly home to the mythical Loch Ness Monster – is to benefit from a £2m (US$3m, €2.7m) investment to boost inbound tourism in a move that the UK government predicts will generate an extra £14m (US$21.1m, €18.7m) tourism spend by 2019.
Announced by chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, the campaign will see extensive advertising of the area, featuring the famed Loch Ness Monster and its other attractions in key tourism markets until 2019.
The campaign, to be run by VisitBritain, is predicted to generate an extra £3.5m (US$5.3m, €4.7m) a year for local businesses in the Inverness area, equating to roughly £14m over the four-year campaign period.
The Loch is a jewel in the crown of the Highlands tourism industry, which creates and sustains many jobs in Scotland,” said Alexander. “Around the world, Loch Ness is one of the best known places in the UK, so it’s right we place it the heart of our international tourism campaign.
“With local businesses now working to improve the destination, it is right that VisitBritain steps in to help make more of this iconic destination. Visitors attracted by the mystery of the Loch Ness will discover a part of the country with much more to offer.”
The Loch Ness campaign is part of VisitBritain’s GREAT Britain campaign, which to date has generated at least an additional £305m (US$461.6m, €408m) for the UK economy through tourism in 2013/2014.
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