Press release -
Edinburgh one of world's best winter cities, says broadcasting giant CNN
The Scottish capital joins the likes of Prague (Czech Republic), Salzburg (Austria) and Reykjavic (Iceland) on CNN.com’s list of “Ten Best Cities for a Winter Vacation”.
The CNN website states: “Cobbled streets, a beautiful castle and lovely public gardens make Edinburgh a beautiful city any time of year, but in winter it's breathtaking. Since the launch of Virgin Atlantic's Little Red service, it’s even easier to get to, with regular flights between other UK cities including Manchester and London.”
It cites the ice skating rink in Princes Street Gardens as one of Edinburgh’s winter highlights and adds: “Arthur’s Seat is the perfect location for a winter walk and the views from the top are second to none.”
Manuela Calchini, VisitScotland’s Regional Director for Edinburgh and the Lothians, said: “Edinburgh is stunning all year round but nobody can deny that there is something extra magical about the city at this time of year. Princes Street Gardens, in particular, is a big hit with visitors and residents alike, and there can surely be more spectacular settings in the world – beneath the shadow of the magnificent Edinburgh Castle – in which to enjoy a glass of mulled wine and soak up the unique atmosphere of Edinburgh at Christmas.”
Charlie Wood, Director at Underbelly and producer of Edinburgh’s Christmas on behalf of City of Edinburgh Council, said: “We are delighted that CNN have recognised Edinburgh as one of the top ten destinations for a winter break. Edinburgh’s Christmas is honoured to be located within the heart of this historic city. Over 1.3 million visitors have to date have enjoyed our festive offerings and we look forward to welcoming even more in the coming weeks.”
Earlier this year, CNN named Scotland as its No.1 destination for visitors in 2013. Scotland beat competition from Morocco, Columbia and Japan to win this honour.
- Ends -
For further information contact:
Tom Maxwell, Corporate Press Officer 0131 472 2409
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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
