Hundreds of thousands of people from the UK and overseas have embraced Scotland’s second year of Homecoming with record-breaking attendances recorded for many of the events within the first six months of 2014.
Latest attendance reports reveal that over 890,000 people have attended 34 funded events between January and May with many more enjoying the hundreds of Partner events taking place in the same period.
Varied events
Established events with a Homecoming feel including Celtic Connections, Electric Glen, and the Glasgow Film Festival welcomed their biggest crowds in history with 110,176; 27,008; and 41,806 visitors respectively
Brand new events such as the John Muir Festival and ‘Home’ – the International launch of the Kelpies were also success stories with 38,500 discovering more about the great Scottish naturalist and over 9,000 people experiencing the opening of Andy Scott’s horse head sculptures.
Homecoming’s special Whisky Month in May saw over 78,439 people from over 31 different countries embracing Scotland’s national spirit at events such as Spirit of Speyside, Whisky Stramash, Glasgow Whisky Festival, World Whisky Day and Spirit of Stirling.
Homecoming signature event Bannockburn Live also proved a sell-out success in June with a 20,000 capacity crowd attending the large scale festival over two days.
2014 is Scotland’s second year of Homecoming with the first taking place in 2009. Launched in January 2014, the programme includes a record 970 partner and funded events across the country.
As well as events, many businesses across Scotland have got caught up in the Homecoming excitement by producing their own themed products including tours, beer, whisky, cheese, chocolate, tablet, gin, shortbread and limited edition Coca-Cola bottles.
Fergus Ewing, Tourism Minister:
“Scotland is welcoming the world in 2014 and it is fantastic that both the people of Scotland and our visitors are embracing many of the events being supported as part of the Homecoming 2014 celebrations. All events are designed to celebrate the very best of Scotland’s food and drink, our assets as a country of natural beauty as well as our rich creativity and cultural and ancestral heritage.
“The programme really has something for everyone, in every corner of the country, in every month of the year. It is proof of how deserving Scotland has been in receiving the endorsements of Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2014, Independent travel bible Wanderlust and the experts at Rough Guides who all rated Scotland as one of the top ‘must visit’ destinations in the world during 2014.
“I also look forward to seeing these record levels of visitor numbers being maintained through to year end with the Edinburgh Festivals, Forth Bridge Festival, Highland Homecoming, Ryder Cup Opening Gala Concert and the MTV Europe Music Awards 2014 still to come.”
Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland:
“We’re only just over halfway through our second Homecoming Year and the engagement from locals, visitors and businesses has been astonishing, exceeding all our expectations. Record high attendances at events and a real passion and enthusiasm for celebrating Scottish culture, history, music, nature and ancestry has shone through and we are confident the second half of the year will be just as breathtaking as the first.
“2014 is a once-in-a-lifetime year for Scotland with an unprecedented number of high profile events including the Commonwealth Games, Ryder Cup and the outstanding Homecoming programme. This is an important time for our events, business and tourism industries and the legacy created will confirm Scotland’s place on the world stage for many years to come.”
For more information about Homecoming events, visit www.homecomingscotland.com or download the app.