Council hit back over tourism figures dip

Dec 29 2009 by Alison Lowson, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

MSP Murdo Fraser came under attack yesterday over what he described as a “worrying” drop in Perthshire tourism figures.

Perth and Kinross council leader Ian Miller claimed that the figures were “highly selective” and focussed on just one indicator of tourism industry trends locally – the Visitor Attraction Barometer (VAB).

“I do not believe this gives the full picture of how this key sector for the Perth and Kinross economy is faring,” he countered.

“The VAB looks solely at visitor numbers and not at how much visitors spend while they are at tourist attractions and on other aspects of a holiday, for example accommodation, meals and transport.

“If we look at the bigger picture, we see a much more positive complexion for the tourism industry locally.

“This year has also been very successful year for events in Perth and Kinross with T in the Park, Etape Caledonia and the Enchanted Forest all recording much increased attendance.

“A positive economic impact has also been achieved through events like the Runrig concert at Scone Palace and the Scottish Six Days Orienteering Championship, which generated an estimated £2m net additional income for Perth and Kinross, a very significant boost for the local economy by anyone’s standards.’’

Richard Pinn, regional director for VisitScotland, said: “In light of the current economic climate the industry has faced this year, the visitor attraction figures are broadly encouraging as it must be remembered numbers of visits to attractions is only one indicator of how well the tourism sector is performing.

“Perthshire has experienced a small dip of around 3 per cent at visitor attractions which, set against the backdrop of challenging conditions, would not be considered substantial.

“However, there is absolutely no room for complacency.’’