Ross distillery in good spirits
GLEN ORD Distillery near Muir of Ord has seen a rise in visitor numbers as whisky tourism grows in popularity across Scotland, according to new figures released by owners Diageo.
The distillery welcomed 18,126 visitors in 2010 compared to 17,204 in 2009 and 16,923 in 2008 – an increase of seven per cent over the two-year period.
The increase at Glen Ord contributed to a surge in visitor numbers across all 12 of Diageo’s distillery visitor centres in Scotland, which saw an increase of 19 per cent over the two years.
Glen Ord Visitor Centre manager Heather Miller said: "We are delighted by the increase in visitor numbers we have seen over the past year at Glen Ord.
"We welcome visitors all year round, but Easter is when we really see the tourist season get under way and this year we are working harder than ever to ensure we continue to grow our visitor numbers and to
Visitors are flocking to Glen Ord Distillery
contribute positively to the wider Highland tourist economy."
There were 43 different nationalities recorded amongst the visitors to Diageo’s distilleries across Scotland last year - with UK tourists leading the way and accounting for 87,417 of the visits in 2010.
The other top countries, in terms of visitor numbers, reflected the traditional leading markets for Scotch whisky, with Germany, France, USA and Spain making up the top five.
The increasing popularity of Scotch in emerging markets around the world was also reflected with visitors from countries such as Brazil, China, India and Russian and Brazil enjoying tours of Diageo’s distilleries.
Steve Blake, general manager of Diageo’s visitor centres, said the growing popularity of Scotch whisky in the global market and the high quality hospitality visitors receive at the distilleries were the key factors in their increasing success.
He said: "Scotch whisky is this country’s fastest growing export and it is also a fantastic advert to overseas visitors.
"Just as we focus on the superb quality of the whisky we produce, over recent years we have put increasing effort into ensuring that is matched by the visitor experience we offer at our distilleries. We very much hope that as the popularity of Scotch continues to expand around the world we will be able to play a key role in attracting increasing numbers of visitors to Scotland.
"It is equally encouraging that we have seen such a healthy growth in UK visitors. It is clear that people love the magic, the mystery and the history of our Scotch whisky industry."
