MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil, visited Wemyss Bay Holiday Park to show his support for Scottish Tourism Week and learn more about the contribution tourism makes to the Inverclyde economy.
McNeil
Backs Scottish Tourism Week
MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan
McNeil, visited Wemyss Bay Holiday Park to show his support for Scottish Tourism
Week and learn more about the contribution tourism makes to the Inverclyde
economy.
The award-winning park, run
by Parkdean Holidays, houses over 500 static caravans and is gearing up to
welcome around 3,000 owners and holidaymakers over the Easter break.
After touring the park and
hearing from General Manager, Andrew McWilliam, about the ambitious plans to
extend the facilities on offer, Mr McNeil said:
“It’s said that tourism
is the most sustainable industry in Scotland and, when you look at a park like
this, it’s easy to understand why. It
employs 50 people in the high season, brings in much-needed tourist pounds and
Euros to the local economy and is a great advert for our community.
“Andrew and his colleagues
are not about to rest on their laurels, though. They have ambitious plans to provide even more facilities –
including their own golf course – which I hope will bring even more visitors
to Inverclyde and cement Wemyss Bay as one of the top holiday parks in the
country.”
The biggest surprise of the
day, Mr McNeil added, was seeing inside a modern caravan.
“If you think caravans are
all primus stoves and scrabble,” he said, “have a look inside a modern one.
I thought they were joking when they said they came with central heating
and DVD players.”
Mr McWilliam said:
“Tourism is vital, not just
to Inverclyde, but to Scotland as a whole – our industry employs 215,000
people nationwide and I’m glad that Duncan was able to come down here to mark
Scottish Tourism Week. It gave us a
good chance to discuss what has been achieved at the park and how we see it
developing in the future.
“What gives this park such
potential is its location. We have
great ferry, bus and rail links to Argyll, Ayrshire, Greenock and Glasgow and
the scenery is simply amazing. In
fact, it’s so breathtaking that, when I was sent down here from the Highlands
to cover the absence of a colleague, I had decided to apply to run it
permanently by the time I’d reached the top of the drive.”
Scottish Tourism Week has
been developed to bring together the private sector, public sector and elected
representatives to develop better awareness of the importance of the tourism
industry to Scotland and the potential it has, across the country, as an
employer and generator of wealth.
ENDS
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