The report suggests that some combination of personal belt-tightening, the unusually poor weather, the strength of the pound against the euro and dollar, and the surge in fuel prices last summer meant that tourists making shorter visits to Britain may have cut back on days outside London.
But one Scotsman CyberNat, writing as ‘Brian Hill’, imagines three rather less plausible explanations:- “Edinburgh Castle and the Tower of London flying the same flag”. Fascinating, Brian. So why, for example, did Irish tourism fall 2.2% last year?
- “Jenners and the Bank of Scotland trying hard to make Edinburgh look like any other English city”. Really, Brian? So why did Glasgow attractions see more of a decline than those in Edinburgh?
- BBC weather maps which allegedly show “doom and gloom for Scotland yet very little for London and the South on the map, while next day the sun shines in Edinburgh and the rain falls in London”.
It used to be Settler Watch.
Now it is BBC Weather Watch.
Here are another couple of classics from Brian 'the Weatherman' Hill
Brian Hill,
Edinburgh 05/12/2008 02:30:12
Even the weather forecast shows rain falling into the middle of the North Sea or Atlantic.
Rain = depressing, it also = discouraging for tourist
We even have snow falling in the middle of the sea, what the h*ll's that all about?
Forget showing off with the graphics, just give us the dam* weather forecast for the LAND!!
18
Brian Hill,
02/01/2009 02:42:03
Great to see the unionists frothing at the mouth again. Must be really frustrating when after 20 months of continuous bile from every corner the SNP is STILL managing to forge ahead.
What about this: "And business and civic leaders expressed their delight after near-perfect weather conditions..."
The BBC was forecasting near ARTIC conditions all day.
But then they always portray Scotland in the worse possible light. When rain is forecast or even SNOW they have a massive blue shape stretching miles out into the Atlantic and/or North Sea....way beyond the Islands.
You would almost think they were trying to put tourists off on the one hand and depress the Scottish population on the other.
Fear and depression by the way make controlling populations much easier......a coincidence I'm sure.
"...while tourism across the rest of Britain mostly held level...."
Do you actually have evidence for this AM2 or is it a lie?
Wardog
Why use the word ‘lie’? If you want your comments to be approved, please desist from the smeary language.
The Scotsman article says: “Across the rest of Britain, numbers mostly held level, according to 2008 statistics from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, Alva.”
The ALVA statistics themselves are here.
Define 'held' surely a drop of 1.8%is practicaly not worthy of consideration for most businesses when we consider the economy as a whole.
The ALVA statistics is from a small area of our tourism business. A better way is to check the bed nights via visitscotland - the stayers are the ones who contribute the most to the economy.
Many ALVA attractions are used by locals and this could well be affecting foot-fall in Scotland. People don't have the money for local sight seeing. The Falkirk Wheel is one example of an attraction which is still doing a roaring trade though - it continues to increase although it must soon be at maximum intake.
Now, let me check this over and over again. Have I mentioned the awful word that upsets you? No. So all should be well.
I'm an American who, along with two friends, was planning an extensive 2-week tour of Scotland this year. One of our triumvirate (the only Scottish one) simply cannot afford it. He's lost his job and is scraping by. 'No Scot,' we figure, 'no Scotland'. This is why tourism is down in Scotland, and why it will sink further.
It's not the weather, or the politics, or those evil men in the Home Counties. It's money, pure and simple.
But fear not, Scotland. 2009 may prove awful, but 2010 shows promise. Be patient. We will all return and we will have plenty of pounds for your BnB's, your attractions and your pubs.
So please: keep your spirits up. A little overseas marketing push wouldn't hurt either.