14 March 2014
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Edinburgh Castle is Scotland's most visited paid for attraction
Edinburgh Castle has welcomed more visitors than ever before in its history, making it the most visited paid-for attraction in Scotland. ...
Edinburgh Castle is Scotland's most visited paid for attraction Images
Edinburgh Castle has welcomed more visitors than ever before in its history, making it the most visited paid-for attraction in Scotland, and the most visited paid for attraction outside London.
The record-breaking total of 1.4 million visitors during 2013 was announced by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions which comprises over 200 UK attractions. Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs said: 'Edinburgh Castle continues to captivate visitors from around the world and I am delighted that it has welcomed more than 1.4m visitors for the first time, which is a significant milestone.
'Scotland’s heritage sector continues to play an important role, supporting 60,000 jobs, contributing over £2bn to our economy and continuing to enthral visitors from home and abroad'
Stephen Duncan, Director of Commercial and Tourism for Historic Scotland, which runs the castle and 77 other heritage attractions across the country said: '2013 was a fantastic year for our sites - with record-breaking figures, membership at an all-time high and Edinburgh Castle breaking the 1.4 million visitor mark for the first time.
'In terms of trends, we had anticipated an increase in travel trade numbers this year after a flattening-out of numbers in 2012, however the increase has exceeded all expectations. We are also benefitting from an increase in visitors from China and the emerging markets.
'Alongside this, we have seen the benefits of investment in our e-commerce offering, with tickets for 66 of our sites now available to purchase online, providing greater flexibility for visitors.
'Meanwhile our award winning events programme, which commences next month, continues to bring history to life and will form a key part of this year’s Homecoming activity.'
(Image copyright Klaus Hermsen, Creative Commons Licence)
Get your free Homecoming 2014 events guide with the April issue of Scottish Memories magazine, on sale on 20 March and available from our website.
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The record-breaking total of 1.4 million visitors during 2013 was announced by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions which comprises over 200 UK attractions. Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs said: 'Edinburgh Castle continues to captivate visitors from around the world and I am delighted that it has welcomed more than 1.4m visitors for the first time, which is a significant milestone.
'Scotland’s heritage sector continues to play an important role, supporting 60,000 jobs, contributing over £2bn to our economy and continuing to enthral visitors from home and abroad'
Stephen Duncan, Director of Commercial and Tourism for Historic Scotland, which runs the castle and 77 other heritage attractions across the country said: '2013 was a fantastic year for our sites - with record-breaking figures, membership at an all-time high and Edinburgh Castle breaking the 1.4 million visitor mark for the first time.
'In terms of trends, we had anticipated an increase in travel trade numbers this year after a flattening-out of numbers in 2012, however the increase has exceeded all expectations. We are also benefitting from an increase in visitors from China and the emerging markets.
'Alongside this, we have seen the benefits of investment in our e-commerce offering, with tickets for 66 of our sites now available to purchase online, providing greater flexibility for visitors.
'Meanwhile our award winning events programme, which commences next month, continues to bring history to life and will form a key part of this year’s Homecoming activity.'
(Image copyright Klaus Hermsen, Creative Commons Licence)
Get your free Homecoming 2014 events guide with the April issue of Scottish Memories magazine, on sale on 20 March and available from our website.
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