News / Sumburgh tourist office to close
THE SMALL tourist office within Sumburgh Airport is to close in spring next year as VisitScotland revamps its strategy of reaching a growing number of visitors.
It is one of 39 centres across the country that is to close over the next two years as tourists increasingly access information online.
Meanwhile, work on turning the isles’ main tourist office at Lerwick’s Market Cross into one of 26 iCentres across the country is already under way.
Tourist bosses say that traditional tourist information centres have suffered a drop in footfall of around 60 per cent over the last twelve years and are no longer the best way to reach visitors.
VisitScotland islands manager Steve Mathieson said: “The way visitors access information has changed significantly over the past decade.
“It’s time to switch our focus and investment into new and diverse initiatives to ensure we are reaching as many visitors to Shetland as possible with the information they want, in the way they want it, when they want it.”
The Lerwick centre will be supported by 18 so-called local VisitScotland Information Partners (VIPs), including Sumburgh Head Lighthouse, Shetland Museum and Archives, Shetland Jewellery and Unst Heritage Trust, to provide additional information.
Mathieson said that this new approach would allow the national tourism organisation to deliver information in the right way at the right time to the 15 million visitors that Scotland welcomes every year.
“With three in four adults now owning a smartphone, a key focus is ensuring our digital communications provide succinct inspirational and informational advice to visitors at every stage of their journey.,” he said.
“The information revolution is upon us and we look forward to telling more and more visitors all about Shetland across all our different channels for many years to come.”
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