Press release -
Dunnottar Castle in Seventh Heaven After Global Recognition
The Castle that was the inspiration for Merida’s Home in Disney-Pixar’s ‘Brave’ has made the top ten list of a global search for the 8th Wonder of the World.
The announcement came this afternoon from VirtualTourist.com, part of the TripAdvisor Media Group, who has been running an online poll for the last few months.
After more than five million votes worldwide, voters chose Turismo Chile’s entry of Torres del Paine National Park as the 8th Wonder of the World. Dunnottar Castle appeared in the top ten throughout the voting process and finishing 7th overall.
The atmospheric castle was the inspiration for Castle DunBroch in the Disney-Pixar Oscar-winning animated blockbuster Brave and was nominated as Scotland’s entry by a VisitScotland Facebook campaign.
Dunnottar had made the top ten in the Virtual Tourist competition by mid-July and remained in the top ten till voting closed at the end of September, the only UK entry to do so.
Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said:
“From a personal point of view, the North East of Scotland and in particular Dunnottar Castle are stunning, so it is no surprise that this breathtaking historical site was successful in making the shortlist in the 8th Wonder of World vote. The news that a place in Scotland has been ranked 7th overall is fantastic given over 344 locations were shortlisted and we offer our congratulations to the winner and all others in the top ten.
“In the Year of Natural Scotland, this is a great example of recognising and celebrating our rich cultural and environmental heritage. Without a doubt this and the success of Brave raised the profile of the North East and Dunnottar Castle with a global audience ahead of the year of Homecoming 2014.”
Wendy Sylvester, Custodian at Dunnottar Castle, said:
“We are delighted that Dunnottar has taken seventh place in the 8th Wonder competition. Considering the calibre of the other competitors, we are really pleased that our wee Castle from the North-East of Scotland has done so well. We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has voted for us and supported us”
Fergus Ewing, Tourism Minister, said
“This is a tremendous accolade for the North East and for Scotland. Without doubt we’re riding on the crest of a wave with a plethora of accolades highlighting Scotland to a massive global audience. This type of showcase is imperative for the Scottish economy and I’m delighted that Scotland has received the recognition it so rightly deserves.
“2014 marks an incredible year for Scotland with the Ryder Cup, the Commonwealth Games and Homecoming 2014 all taking place in what will be once in a generation opportunity for many businesses and visitors. It’s without doubt our time to shine as we prepare to welcome the world.”
The other landmarks receiving the most votes and making up the top 10 are:
2. El Salvador’s Santa Ana Volcano and Lake Coatepeque
3. Colombia’s Coffee Cultural Landscape
4. Guatemala’s Tikal National Park
5. Slovenia’s Skocjan Caves
6. Mexico’s Copper Canyon
7. Scotland’s Dunnottar Castle
8.Belize’s Great Blue Hole
9. Curacao’s Queen Emma Bridge
10. Croatia’s Old Town Dubrovnik
To see the complete list or for more information, visit www.virtualtourist.com/8thwonder
ENDS
For further information contact:
|
(Mon-Wed) Kim Walton Corporate Press Officer - North Tel: 01224 269187 Mob: 07805 802508 E-mail: kim.walton@visitscotland.com (Wed-Fri) Lorna MacLennan Corporate Press Officer - North Tel: 01463 252432 Mob: 07785 515469 |
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- awards
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors:
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- 2014 is the year Scotland welcomes the world, when it hosts the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and more than 800 Homecoming events throughout the country.For more information on Homecoming Scotland 2014, go to www.visitscotland.com
- The VisitScotland Information Centre network is a unique face-to-face channel engaging with around five million visitors and locals each year. Everyone who uses a VisitScotland Information Centre goes on to spend an additional £5.35, generating over £24 million for Scotland’s economy.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, tourism employs 270,000 people in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the industry contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
- For more information on VisitScotland’s annual review please go to www.visitscotland.org/about_us/our_focus/annual_report.aspx
