Tourism action plan sees jobs increase in Lanarkshire

The tourism industry in Lanarkshire has been responsible for the creation of more than 1,000 jobs over the past three years, according to figures just released.

Revenue from tourism has also seen an increase – of 24 per cent – since the Lanarkshire Tourism Action Plan was launched by local councils in 2005.

The objective of the plan has been to re-brand the area as a popular tourist destination.

Tourism officials are reporting that perceptions of the region are changing and have resulted in an increase in visitor numbers.

A report presented to the North and South Lanarkshire Councils indicated that since the inception of the tourism action plan, the tourism sector has outperformed most every other sector of the local economy.

Since the campaign began three years ago, tourism revenue has increased from £228.33 million to £300.59 million, and visitor numbers have jumped by 13 per cent.

Lanarkshire features a number of popular visitor attractions, including M&D’s - Scotland’s Theme Park, the Museum of Scottish Industrial Life, the National Museum of Rural Life, the New Lanark World Heritage Site, Strathclyde Country Park and Summerlee.

Several new hotels have been built in the area, such as the Alona in Strathclyde Park and the Dakota at Eurocentral – which have also added to an increase in the number of visitors.

www.visitscotland.org