THE public will reconnect in high numbers when our historic sites re-open in earnest at the end of this month. From April 30, 27 historic sites will be re-opening, including Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle.

Historic Environment Scotland (Hes) will be adapting its visitor experience in light of Covid restrictions but it promises to be just as stimulating as before.

Hes said: “We are pleased to be re-opening sites once more, in line with Scottish Government guidelines, with many ticketed sites re-opening once again on April 30, as well as opening up further sites across the country on a phased basis over the coming months.

“As always, the safety of our staff and visitors has been at the forefront of our planning, enabling safe access to our properties in line with Scottish Government guidance and our minimum operating standards which underpin our approach.

“Visitors will be asked to pre-book and adhere to social distancing measures in place whilst exploring sites.

“And we’ll be pleased to tell the story of the sites through technology so visitors have the opportunity to experience the old and the new when they are exploring some of our most iconic sites and enjoying a piece of 5000 years of history.”

Those sites are usually a throng of people at this time of year but the Covid months have taken their toll on the industry.

Hes added: “Like many other organisations the onset of Covid-19 has impacted heavily on our business as we have not been able to open sites like Edinburgh Castle to visitors for several months. In this context, the Alva (Association of Leading Visitor Attractions) figures, while obviously disappointing (given the attractions’ usual standing), are expected and understandable.

“They also reflect the impact of the tighter capacities we introduced across our indoor sites like the castle, for safety reasons when we did re-open last August for several months following the initial lockdown.

“The attraction has also suffered from a downturn in key international visitors due to necessary global travel restrictions during the pandemic.

“However, the announcements from the Scottish Government are positive and will hopefully allow us to maximise our potential this season.”

The Alva figures for last year revealed that Edinburgh Castle had seen a plunge in visitors of 87% to 276,950, while Edinburgh Zoo was down 45% to 335,625, the Royal Botanic Garden by 54% to 452,479, the National Museum of Scotland was down by 80% to 444,437 and the Scottish National Gallery by 81% to 304,237.

Kelvingrove Museum saw a fall of 86% to 259,978, the Riverside Museum fell by 82% to 246,933, the Culloden Visitor Centre by 13% to 182,496 and the V&A Dundee by 81% to 116,125.

That downturn has also been reflected in the soundings from the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (Asva) and the Moffat Centre, which collates the visitor numbers across Scotland, who surveyed all Scottish attractions regarding their Covid experiences and projections. They found that the lack of international visitors this year will have a considerable economic impact on the sector and almost 20% of attractions are anticipating a drop in turnover of more than 50% (when compared to 2019).

And there was a grave warning with just more than 50% of attractions believing their businesses are secure in the short term (one to three months) with the number dropping to just more than a third when looking at the long-term security of their businesses (beyond 12 months).

Across the board they are lobbying Holyrood and Westminster to provide new or additional grant support to the industry, reducing the two metre physical distancing restrictions and supporting increased national marketing activity/spending aimed at the domestic audience.

THE re-opening of the sites is being welcomed by VisitScotland.

A VisitScotland spokesman said: “Visitor attractions play an important role in both the tourism industry and in local communities in Scotland.

“Our galleries, castles, museums, and historic sites showcase Scotland’s incredible culture, heritage and history and we anticipate the public will be eager to explore their local attractions when they begin to re-open.

“We are already working with the industry to ensure it is ready to restart and, as restrictions ease, we will encourage Scots to support local businesses by visiting attractions, eating out and booking staycations.

“We will also urge visitors to ‘know before they go’, checking online whether attractions and businesses are open and welcoming visitors. It is important for visitors to ensure they are following the latest government advice in accordance with whichever protection level they reside in.”

The 27 sites that will re-open are: Aberdour Castle, Arbroath Abbey, Blackness Castle, Caerlaverock Castle, Craigmillar Castle,

Dirleton Castle, Doune Castle, Dryburgh Abbey, Dumbarton Castle, Dunblane Cathedral, Dundonald Castle, Dunfermline Abbey, Edinburgh Castle, Elgin Cathedral, Fort George, Glasgow Cathedral, Huntly Castle, Inchcolm Abbey, Jedburgh Abbey, Linlithgow Palace, Melrose Abbey, Skara Brae, St Andrews Castle, St Andrews Cathedral, Stirling Castle, Tantallon Castle and Urquhart Castle.