The North Coast 500 has been Scotland’s most successful tourism route since it was opened to much acclaim in 2015 ALAMYThe North Coast 500 touring route has boosted the local economy by more than £22 million in a year. The route has also created 180 full-time equivalent jobs in the north Highlands, according to the Moffat Centre for Tourism at Glasgow Caledonian University, which reported that activity businesses, tour operators, retailers, car rental firms and hospitality venues had year-on-year growth of 16 per cent more than in 2014-2018. There was a 19.9 per cent increase in visitors to free admission attractions, and paid attractions benefited from a 41.7 per cent boost in visitor numbers. The report was commissioned by the North Highland Initiative and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and written by Professor John Lennon. David Whiteford, chairman of the North Highland Initiative, said: “The North…

Source: The Times October 04, 2019 23:03 UTC