PRESS RELEASE
Date: 08 April 2003
No. of pages 2
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The truly international appeal of
Scotland’s World Heritage Site
Since officially becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the cotton mill village of New Lanark is proving an increasingly attractive destination for overseas visitors to Scotland. Already this year the village has welcomed groups from France, Germany, Cuba, USA, Denmark, Belgium, Egypt - and last week even Mongolia.
On Tuesday 1 April for example, 227 of 290 group visitors were French – and with the unusually sunny spring weather the village enjoyed a distinctly continental ambience.
It is most encouraging that the village is attracting overseas visitors so early in the season. In 2002 the village attracted well over 400,000 visitors – well up on the previous year, thanks largely to the new attractions opening in Robert Owen’s School bringing extra visitors, and a new marketing campaign targeting UK and overseas tourists, supported by the European Regional Development Fund.
More…
Survey results in the village from summer 2002 also show a leap in the proportion of visitors to New Lanark from England. Despite well-publicised difficulties some Scottish attractions and hotels are facing, the survey shows a staggering 45% of summer visitors came on holiday from England – and 25% came from overseas. Three quarters of all the visitors had never been to the village before.
New Lanark is internationally famous, not only as a beautiful example of an 18th century cotton mill village, but also as the home of an enlightened education system for working people, including the world’s first Infant School. Mill Manager Robert Owen even provided a crèche for his working mothers in 1816.
Today, the award-winning Visitor Centre provides a fascinating insight into New Lanark’s special history, with highlights being the New Millennium Experience ride, with commentary available in 6 languages, and the new 3D theatre show Annie McLeod’s Story, where the ghost of mill-girl Annie McLeod magically appears on stage (and she too is fluent in 6 languages…).
In response to increasing volume of overseas tourists, New Lanark has recently published the illustrated Story of New Lanark guide book in French, German, Spanish, Italian and Japanese – as well as English, of course. A new website has also been launched with on-line booking for the Hotel – and later this year this will also be translated into 6 languages.
Visitor Centre Receptionist Gail Davidson was quite excited when she sold her first Japanese copy of the guide book last week: “One of the most enjoyable aspects of working at New Lanark is the opportunity to meet people from all over the world”, she said. “It’s just amazing that so many international visitors make the effort to come to New Lanark, and the feedback is very positive. They love it.”
Ends.
For more information contact Richard Evans
Tel. 01555 661345 / E-mail or visit