Press release -
New Bucket List Challenge Launched on World Heritage Day
The Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Giza and Machu Picchu are at the top of many traveller’s lists – but did you know that Scotland has six World Heritage Sites of its very own? To help bring this “wanderlust” closer to home, Dig It! 2017 has launched a new Bucket List starring these six marvels of ingenuity and imagination.
According to the United Nations, these places have special importance for everyone. They represent unique (or the most significant or best) examples of the world’s cultural heritage. Scotland’s sites cover over 5,000 years of history and range from a mysterious group of Neolithic monuments in Orkney to a picturesque cotton mill village in Lanark.
The challenge was issued as part of the Scotland in Six series of events running on World Heritage Day - Tuesday 18 April 2017. Coordinated by Dig It! 2017 and supported by EventScotland, the six events ranged from a 1:1 scale Minecraft recreation of St Kilda to a Battle of the Bands, which pitted New Town against Old Town with Georgian-era musicians and medieval minstrels performing across Edinburgh.
Culture and Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop, said:
“Scotland’s six iconic World Heritage Sites are magnificent. They are of international significance and attract thousands of visitors every year.
“This challenge, part of Dig It! 2017, will encourage tourists from home and abroad to discover some of Scotland’s finest attractions.
“History and heritage is a key driver for visits to Scotland, which is why in 2017 we are celebrating the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.”
Dr Rebecca Jones, Head of the Archaeology and World Heritage Team at Historic Environment Scotland, said:
“A lot of bucket list challenges are long and unwieldy and arguably pretty difficult to achieve, but the great thing about putting Scotland’s six World Heritage sites on your bucket list is that experiencing them all is perfectly possible – and indeed advisable!
Each of these iconic sites has something different to offer, from the stunning prehistoric monuments of ancient Orkney to the meticulously built 2,000 year old Roman frontier of the Antonine Wall; from the social impact of New Lanark, one of the largest industrial sites in the world, to the Forth Bridge, an internationally renowned feat of engineering. Ticking off the hustle and bustle of Edinburgh’s iconic Old and New Towns before braving the journey across the sea to the now-uninhabited island beauty of St Kilda is enough to take your breath away.
We hope Dig It! 2017’s Bucket List will encourage more people than ever before to travel to Scotland’s incredible World Heritage Sites in the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.”
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said:
“With over one third of visitors drawn to Scotland for its history and culture, the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017 is an exciting opportunity to relive Scotland’s fascinating past.
“Scotland’s six World Heritage Sites are truly iconic attractions, drawing thousands of visitors from around the globe every year.
“We are sure this Bucket List challenge, and the other fantastic events planned to celebrate World Heritage Day, will encourage even more visitors to experience the wonders of our World Heritage Sites.”
The Bucket List was created by Dig It! 2017 with support from Historic Environment Scotland and EventScotland. The free list is now available on the Dig It! 2017 website.
To explore the Bucket List and learn more about Scotland’s six sites, visit DigIt2017.com/WorldHeritageSites
For further information contact:
Julianne McGraw
Dig It! 2017 Communications Officer
Phone: 0131 247 4066
Email: julianne@digit2017.com
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- eventscotland
- year of history heritage and archaeology
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:
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
- 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
- Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
- Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
- 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)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business events in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
- 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
