Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Enchanted Forest set to bring significant economic boost to Pitlochry

The Enchanted Forest event went ahead, despite the power cut.
The Enchanted Forest event went ahead, despite the power cut.

The launch of the annual Enchanted Forest event is set to bring an economic boost to Pitlochry.

The 2019 event, entitled Cosmos, opens to the public today.

Last year, visitors to the Enchanted Forest reached 80,000. More than half of those visitors stayed overnight in the local area.

Brian Wishart, of Fisher’s Hotel in Pitlochry, said the attraction brings a boost to local businesses after the summer season.

He said: “I believe that all of the accommodation providers, restaurants and cafes, and some of the other shops benefit hugely.

“Without the Enchanted Forest, the tourist season would effectively end by the end of September.

“Yes it is hard work, but it is hugely beneficial.”

The Enchanted Forest brings an estimated £7.6 million to Perthshire’s economy each year.

With 80,000 tickets already released, this year’s event is expected to bring the same boost.

The event is enjoyed by adults and children alike. Picture credit Mhairi Edwards.

Mr Wishart said it has had a positive impact on the Fisher’s Hotel.

He said: “The Enchanted Forest has been very good for the hotel and the town since its inception.

“We have coach tours from all across Britain and Europe who stay with us and most include a visit to the Enchanted Forest.”

Other business owners and workers also spoke of the the positive effect of the event.

Debbie Deeks, of Fir Trees Bed and Breakfast said: “I think it has a great impact.

“The shops are full, the restaurants are full, the hotels are full. Bookings are up.

“People who come see how nice the town is and come back.”

An employee at Pitlochry’s The Scottish Shop added: “From the retail side, you do get a slight increase in visitors. What you do find is that the Saturdays are certainly busier.”

Highland ward councillor John Duff,  echoed the positivity.

He said: “The Enchanted Forest is a major Scottish tourist attraction bringing millions of pounds worth of economic benefits to Highland Perthshire and Perth and Kinross.

“The multi-award winning show attracts over 800,000 visitors to the area every year during its four-week run, increasing the footfall in local shops, restaurants, hotels and guest houses and helps to extend the local tourist season well beyond the summer months.

“I would also commend the charitable activities of the Enchanted Forest Community Trust which donates significant amounts to local charities and organisations from the profits of the event.”