Kelpies, Falkirk Wheel and Caledonian Canal in man-made wonders top ten!

The Kelpies, The Falkirk Wheel and the Caledonian Canal have been voted as some of Scotland’s greatest man-made wonders!

In new research by VisitScotland as part of the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design 2016, the ‘wonders’ were pipped to the post by UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 126 year old Forth Bridge – which took the top spot with 30% of the votes in the survey.

The top ten list of man-made wonders also includes Edinburgh Castle, the Glenfinnan Viaduct and Stirling Castle, as well as the Scott Monument, Bell Rock Lighthouse and Melrose Abbey.

The research reveals that almost 60% of Brits have made an ‘architectural pilgrimage’ in the UK i.e. travelled just to see a famous building or architectural wonder.  And rather than just an endeavour of the older generations, more than half of Millennials surveyed (16-24 yr olds) said they had done so.  The most popular Scottish ‘architectural pilgrimage’ was Edinburgh Castle.

Six out of ten Brits also stated that a destination’s architecture and design played an important role when deciding where to go on a shortbreak.

The research comes as VisitScotland celebrates another successful themed year in 2016.  The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design has supported 24 events to date with highlights including Hinterland at St Peter’s Seminary, Local Heroes at Edinburgh Airport, the Findhorn Bay Festival, Clo Mòr Festival of Harris Tweed and Ignite Dundee.

The national tourism organisation hopes that visitors will continue to experience Scotland’s architecture in 2016, but also take the time to discover more about the country’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology in 2017.

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland said:

“It is no surprise that our awe-inspiring Forth Bridge has taken the top spot in this research and it is wonderful to see that new man-made wonders like The Kelpies are already proving a hit with visitors.  2016 has shone a significant spotlight on Scotland’s achievements in innovation, architecture and design through a wide-range of activity designed to boost tourism in Scotland.  I hope many people continue to make architectural pilgrimages to Scotland throughout the rest of this year and beyond to discover some of our truly remarkable sights.”

The full top ten of Scotland’s greatest man-made wonders, as voted for by the British public, is as follows:

1. Forth Bridge (30%)
2. Edinburgh Castle (13%)
3. The Kelpies (8%)
4. Glenfinnan Viaduct (7%)
5. Stirling Castle (5%)
6. Falkirk Wheel (5%)
7. Caledonian Canal (5%)
8. Scott Monument (4%)
9. Bell Rock Lighthouse (4%)
10. Melrose Abbey (3%)

For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/iad2016

Notes to Editors

2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design

  • 2016 will shine a spotlight on Scotland’s achievements in innovation, architecture and design through a wide-ranging, variety of new and existing activity.
  • The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design started on 1 January 2016 and will end on 31 December 2016. It will build on the momentum generated by the 2015 Year of Food and Drink as well as previous years including Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
  • Through a series of exciting events and activity, the year will showcase Scotland’s position as an “innovation nation”, its outstanding built heritage, and its thriving, internationally acclaimed creative industries sector.
  • The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Creative Scotland, Architecture + Design Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS).
  • The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design is supported by £570,000 of Scottish Government funding.
  • The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.

 VisitScotland

  • Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
  • VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
  • The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
  • This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
    1. Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
    2. Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
    3. Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
    4. Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
    5. Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
    6. Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
    7. Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
  • VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
  • The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
  • Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
  • The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority for the European Structural Funds 2014-20 Programme. For further information visit www.gov.scot or follow @scotgovESIF

Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design 2016

  • 2016 will shine a spotlight on Scotland’s achievements in innovation, architecture and design through a wide-ranging, variety of new and existing activity.
  • The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design started on 1 January 2016 and will end on 31 December 2016.  It will build on the momentum generated by the 2015 Year of Food and Drink as well as previous years including Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
  • Through a series of exciting events and activity, the year will showcase Scotland’s position as an “innovation nation”, its outstanding built heritage, and its thriving, internationally acclaimed creative industries sector.
  • The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Creative Scotland, Architecture + Design Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS).
  • The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design is supported by £570,000 of Scottish Government funding.
  • The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
  • Join the conversation at #IAD2016

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