Press release -
Relay will raise levels of excitement to “fever pitch” for Games, says VisitScotland Chairman
After more than eight months on the road, the Glasgow 2014 Queen’s Baton Relay crosses the border into Scotland this weekend (Sat 14 June) as it begins its 40 day tour of the country.
As well as being greeted by hundreds of different communities, the baton will also pass by some of Scotland’s most iconic landmarks, showcasing our nation’s diverse culture, rich history and breath-taking landscapes.
Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said: “As it travelled around the Commonwealth, the Glasgow 2014 Queen’s Baton provided a perfect platform to showcase Scotland as a unique place to visit and do business, and VisitScotland has taken great pride in helping spread that message.
“It is now time to welcome the baton home and raise the levels of excitement in Scotland to fever pitch for what will be a truly spectacular year.
“The baton will be passing through every local authority area, as well as some of Scotland’s most iconic landmarks from Linlithgow Palace, Dunottar Castle and Gleneagles to John O’Groats, the Kelpies and Skara Brae.
“This is a chance for people all across the country to be part of the Games, get behind Team Scotland and discover new and unique parts of our stunning country”
During its time in Scotland, the baton will cover the length and breadth of the country showcasing many of the brilliant moments that Scotland has to offer in the year of Homecoming Scotland 2014:
- It arrives in Edinburgh on Saturday 14 June where it will make its way up the famous Royal Mile to the iconic Edinburgh Castle with a gun salute welcome at 12.30pm.
- The next day (Sunday 15 June) the baton will travel across one of Scotland’s most recognisable landmarks, the Forth Road Bridge, which is celebrating its 50th birthday later this year with a 10-day festival in September as part of Homecoming Scotland 2014.
- Other highlights of the route include its passage by the Kelpies sculpture within the Helix Park in Falkirk on Tuesday 24 July. The colossal 30 metre high horse heads will provide a spectacular backdrop to the baton’s route through the town.
- Later that week it will arrive in Fife at St Andrews Golf Course on Thursday 26 June. The baton will then continue its journey to some of Scotland’s top golf courses when it stops off at the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club on 30 June. During its visit to Perthshire the baton will arrive at Gleneagles, the proud host of The 2014 Ryder Cup in September, on Saturday 5 July.
- Finally the baton will make its last stop in Glasgow where it will spend three days touring the city’s key landmarks before the Opening Ceremony at Hampden Park on 23 July.
For further information contact:
Louise Purves
Corporate Press Officer
Tel: 0131 472 2052 Louise.purves@visitscotland.com
Out of hours media enquiries: 07699 766986
Or Katy Hughes
Consumer PR Manager
Tel: 0131 472 2021 Katy.Hughes@visitscotland.com
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- glasgow 2014 commonwealth games
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.
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- 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
