Press release -

Brodick Ferry terminal to open later this month

In response to today's announcement that the Brodick Ferry Terminal will officially be opened on Monday 27th November, VisitScotland Regional Director Annique Armstrong said: 

“The opening of the Brodick Ferry Terminal is fantastic news for visitors to the Isle of Arran and for tourism in Scotland as a whole. Scotland’s islands are a key draw for visitors – our latest visitor research shows that visitors to Scotland’s islands tend to stay for a longer period than other visitors. The opening of the new ferry terminal demonstrates significant investment in Scotland’s island communities, with the potential to improve the visitor journey and attract new visitors from around the world.

“Scotland’s reputation as a quality destination relies on continued investment and innovation to ensure that current provision meets future demand. Tourism is the heartbeat of the Scottish economy, causing a ripple effect which touches every industry and community, creating employment and economic growth.”

The official opening ceremony for the newly upgraded Brodick Ferry Terminal will take place on Monday 27th November 2017.

Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution Derek Mackay MSP will lead the opening ceremony. The Minister for Transport and the Islands, Humza Yousaf MSP will also be in attendance. The ceremony will begin at 11:10 hours, after the 11:05 hours ferry to Ardrossan departs the terminal.

The opening event was originally scheduled for Monday 23rd October, however due to the sad passing of Lady Jean Fforde, CMAL took the decision to postpone the ceremony and reschedule for this later date.

The local community and those with an interest in ferries and harbours are invited to attend the opening event, which will include entertainment provided by Lamlash Primary School Brass Band.

The extensive redevelopment project at Brodick Ferry Terminal represents a major investment of around £30 million, led by CMAL, with support from Transport Scotland, North Ayrshire Council, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Coastal Communities Fund.

Work to transform the harbour began on site in January 2016. The project has delivered a new pier, an increased marshalling area through reclaimed land and a modern terminal building, with bus stances and parking facilities. It is the single biggest port infrastructure construction project delivered by CMAL.

CMAL’s Head of Civil Engineering, Ramsay Muirhead said:

“This is a hugely significant project for our team and we are delighted to reach the official opening of the new terminal. We hope as many people as possible can join us at the opening.”

For more information, visit: www.cmassets.co.uk 

Topics

  • Tourism

Categories

  • ayrshire & arran
  • corporate communications

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’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
  • This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
    1. Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
    2. Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
    3. Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
    4. Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
    5. Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
    6. Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
    7. Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
  • To ensure everyone can safely enjoy Scotland’s amazing countryside and landscapes, VisitScotland encourages all visitors to fully respect their surroundings by behaving in a responsible and appropriate way.
  • 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.
  • Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
  • The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority for the European Structural Funds 2014-20 Programme. For further information visit www.gov.scot or follow @scotgovESIF
  • 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)
  • 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology
  • 2017 is the year to delve into the past and discover Scotland’s fascinating stories through a wide-ranging variety of new and existing activity to drive the nation’s tourism and events sector, boosting tourism across Scotland.
  • The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology begins on 1 January 2017 and will end on 31 December 2017. It will build on the momentum generated by previous themed years in Scotland including the 2015 Year of Food and Drink, Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
  • The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Creative Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Built Environment Forum Scotland, Heritage Lottery Fund, Museums Galleries Scotland and Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland.
  • The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is supported by £570,000 of Scottish Government funding.
  • The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
  • For more information visit visitscotland.com/HHA2017 or join the conversation at #HHA2017

Contacts

Chelsea Charles

Press contact Scotland’s Themed Years Communications & Engagement Manager Contact for media enquiries on: Scotland’s Themed Years (i.e. 2018 Year of Young People; 2020 Year of Scotland's Coast and Waters; 2022 Year of Scotland's Stories) 0131 472 2067

Carrie MacWilliam

Press contact Senior Corporate Press Officer - National Contact for media enquiries on: Travel media (Scotland); Year of Young People; UK Marketing; Dundee; Fife; Angus; Perthshire 0131 472 2052

Amelia Whittaker

Press contact Senior Corporate Press Officer - Regional Contact for media enquiries on: South Region; Edinburgh and Lothians; Food and Drink; Scottish Thistle Awards 01750 723806