A decision by VisitScotland not to reopen its information centre in Anstruther has divided opinion in the town.
Falling demand at the Anstruther VisitScotland information centre means the tourism agency, in partnership with Fife Council, has decided not to reopen the centre located in the Scottish Fisheries Museum for the upcoming season.
Manuela Calchini, regional partnerships director for VisitScotland, said demand had changed due to visitors wanting online information.
“With developments in technology we now have the ability to provide visitors with real-time tailored content to their device and location across all our platforms,” he said.
“The Scottish Fisheries Museum will continue to provide excellent information provision through the addition of a digital kiosk.
“Furthermore, discussions are under way to site an outdoor digital information kiosk in the town, allowing 24-hour access to information on Anstruther, the East Neuk and Fife.”
But Anstruther shopkeeper Martin Dibley said the decision is a blow to the East Neuk.
He added: “With tourism as the mainstay of our economy, we need to increase the visitor spend and inform those who come here what this wonderful area has to offer.
“Removing the TIC is a very disappointing, retrograde step. Hopefully there will be some way this valuable recourse can be kept open, even if it could be funded in a different way.”
However, East Neuk Fife councillor Elizabeth Riches recognised the need for change.
She said: “Visitors are most important to the livelihoods of very many people in the East Neuk and so we must make sure it is easy and welcoming for them to access visitor information.
“Over time fewer people have visited our dedicated visitor information centre, as it is not the way most people access information. They go online to use websites, smartphones or touch-screen kiosks.
“The need for budget savings means that rent paid for a centre is not always the best use of that money. The centre in Anstruther was only open from April until October but visitors come to our town throughout the year and want information.”
Mrs Riches said the town is to be provided with two touch-screen digital information kiosks; one will be inside the Scottish Fisheries Museum and staff and volunteers there are willing to help tourists with inquiries.
The other kiosk will be available 24 hours a day and will be located somewhere near the harbour master’s office, though the exact position has still to be decided.
She added: “These are big changes but I am glad that Anstruther is to benefit from an update to technology that should serve all of our visitors all of the time.”
Sandra Montador-Stewart, Fife Council service manager economy, tourism and town centres, said: “Research is telling us that visitors are increasingly using online, digital information to access information about Fife and Scotland.
“Due to this change in visitor behaviour and subsequent decrease in footfall to the Anstruther VisitScotland Information Centre, we will be providing information in the Scottish Fisheries Museum with the addition of a digital kiosk.
“Plans are also under way to place an outdoor digital information kiosk in the town.
“This will provide 24-hour access to information on Anstruther, the East Neuk and Fife and will be part of a Fife-wide network of digital kiosks.”