Nessie spotters invited to get on board as Highland tourism businesses prepare for busy season
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Young Nessie spotters arriving at Inverness Airport received a surprise treat as tourism businesses in the Highlands prepare for what is expected to be one of their busiest summers.
Cruise operator Loch Ness by Jacobite teamed up with the airport to greet passengers arriving in the Highland capital and present them with all they need to catch a glimpse of the world’s shyest monster including binoculars, a map and a bag to carry their kit.
An influx in tourists and the warm weather resulted in the company reporting its busiest Easter weekend with visitor numbers up by 65 per cent from last year.
It also coincided with the launch of Jacobite’s summer timetable plus the introduction of a new year-round British Airways flight route from London to Inverness last month.
The extra flights and additional sailings form part of the region’s wider response to growing visitor numbers to Scotland, with overseas visitor numbers rising by 27 per cent last year.
Freda Newton, managing director of Loch Ness by Jacobite, said following a record-breaking 2018, the company was looking forward to welcoming even more intrepid adventurers to the loch this summer.
“As we all know, the Loch Ness Monster is notoriously shy with only a few sightings observed each year," she said.
"We thought it time to take matters into our own hands by enlisting a team of mini Nessie spotters to help us lure her out of the depths.
“Assisting the kids in their task will be our on-screen sonar technology which tracks any movement below the surface. This, combined with our specialist kits, means we’ve got our fingers crossed that our new recruits will be successful!”
The Loch Ness Monster is worth an estimated £41 million to the Scottish economy, according to research published by chartered accountant Gary Campbell who is also keeper of the official register of sightings.
Recent figures released by the Annual Visitor Trends Report revealed that Loch Ness by Jacobite had a nine per cent growth from 2017 – notably higher than the national average of 0.1 per cent suggesting the region’s popularity shows no signs of slowing.
Graeme Bell, airport general manager, said: “The Loch Ness Monster is always difficult to track down but 2019 might be the year when some intrepid young explorers could use their Nessie spotting kits to find her.”
