High Life Highland announces plans to close Inverness Castle viewpoint from November 22 'until further notice'; move follows fall in visitor numbers at the Highland attraction after England began a second Covid-19 lockdown and Scottish tier travel restrictions were introduced
PLUNGING visitor numbers have sparked the imminent closure of the Inverness Castle viewpoint "until further notice".
High Life Highland said the move, which will take effect on Sunday, November 22, was the result of a sharp drop in the number of people booking visits – after lockdown restrictions elsewhere in Scotland and England had a substantial knock-on impact.
John West, director of culture and learning at the charity, said footfall had dropped dramatically, adding: “Since the restrictions for travel and lockdown came into force our bookings have dropped to an unsustainable level with only three bookings being received in the last ten days compared to 90 bookings in October.”
"The downward trend is being replicated across visitor attractions in Scotland where Edinburgh Castle for example only had 142 visitors on the first day England went into lockdown.
“This means that remaining open is no longer a viable option for us and we are planning to close Inverness Castle Viewpoint until further notice.”
