THE SNP Government needs to have a reality check. We already have too many visitors. It wants more. Politicians think that throwing more money at the problem will bring a solution. A chunk went to Lucid People (UK) Ltd, which gave advice to the Government as it developed the £6 million Scotland is Now campaign (“Don’t use God, 007 and golf to promote Scotland”, The Herald, August 22).
Spending millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on a politically correct campaign in the United States or China to attract more visitors will make the problem worse, not better.
In the past two days, I have encountered foreign visitors in Glasgow and Helensburgh who had no idea of the local attractions within easy reach. There is a mistaken belief that having a mobile device with access to Google will provide instant answers. A map and a local guide book are much better.
The money should be spent hiring folk with local knowledge, equip them with maps and guide books and send these ambassadors out to greet visitors and provide the information they lack.
The visitor experience seems to have adopted the US approach to tourism: it’s Tuesday, it must be Rome. This herd mentality is fed by social media.Visitors must visit Skye where the one attraction they see is the Fairy Glen. The result is gridlock on the single-lane access road and a dismal experience for visitors and locals alike. We need to meet and greet visitors. Let them know about the secret places we know about but they don’t and spread the load around the country. This should start at the airport and continue in the hotels and on the streets. This is where the money should be spent. A satisfied customer is the best advert for any business.
John Black,
6 Woodhollow House, Helensburgh.
THE Wolf of Badenoch built his impressive fortress in the middle of Lochindorb. In the 13th century he plundered what was precious and beautiful throughout Moray, including Elgin Cathedral, the resulting conflagration known as the Lantern of the North.
As with the cathedral, the castle lies in ruins, occupying an island in the middle of open moorland at Lochindorb. It is a hauntingly beautiful, historic, romantic setting, much-loved by all who picnic by its peaceful, sparkling waters.
It is now being encroached on by the wind energy industry, flagged on by the SNP, which is supposed to protect our beautiful countryside. The giant Danish turbines of Tom nan Clach windfarm will appear on the horizon, towering400 feet high, destroying the tranquil vistas.
Smoke-belching lorries will trundle down the A9 to place the “clean-green” components on their 1000-ton “clean green” concrete bases, dumped on a precious, carbon-storing, upland ecosystem.
Despite public protestations about the glaring stupidity and the inexorable rise in our energy bills, this destructive Wolf cannot be kept from the door.
George Herraghty,
Lothlorien, Lhanbryde, Moray.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel