Glamis Castle is getting ready for a battle to hold on to thousands of visitors in the face of rocketing fuel prices.
The attraction welcomed more than 100,000 guests from across the globe again last year, but marketing chiefs said the spiralling cost of getting to Glamis could hit tourist numbers.
Glamis officially opens its doors on April 2 and work is going on to prepare the landmark for its first visitors of the season.
Bookings staff, who say there are already warning signs over the effect of fuel price rises, have fully backed The Courier’s call for a duty regulator to protect the consumer.
“At the beginning of the year we always receive block bookings from coach operators and then as the year goes on some of those may be dropped if the operators are unable to fill the coaches,” said marketing officer Libby Reynolds.
“Year on year, our forecast bookings for the first few months of the year are the same, but thereafter they are down at this stage.
“We have to fight that little bit harder anyway to get coaches and tourists to come up from Edinburgh and Glasgow and off the A9, and the high cost of fuel may mean that is even more the case this year.
“We will have to try to work hard to keep as much of that business as we can but the fuel issue does not just impact on the coach tourism part of our business.
She added, “55% of our visitors come in cars, so high fuel prices will have an effect on whether they decide to go on a trip to places such as Glamis.”
Despite the challenge facing folk at the pumps, Glamis remains confident the castle’s allure will help it remain a top Scottish destination for foreign visitors and “staycation” tourists.
The attraction is hopeful its regal connections will bring a numbers boost during a royal wedding year and is to stage an exhibition to mark the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton, while the Glamis Open Air Prom returns in July.If you want to support the Courier’s call for a fuel duty regulator, click here to add your name to our petition.