THE Great Tapestry of Scotland visitor centre has boosted the public’s perception of Galashiels, with three-fifths of holidaymakers reporting it as their key reasons for travelling to the area, according to university researchers.
The SPOT (Social and Innovative Platform on Cultural Tourism) team from Aberdeen University surveyed more than 460 visitors between April and September last year, and found that more than 70% of visitors “felt more positive” towards Galashiels as a result of their trip.
For 60% of those visiting the area, their main purpose was to visit the attraction.
The study was conducted as part of a project which was aiming to understand and address cultural tourism across Europe and to promote its role in regeneration.
Research fellow Stephanie Garrison said: “Our research shows that visitors strongly agree that this new five-star visitor centre is a wonderful addition to Scotland’s cultural tourism offerings.
“Almost unanimously visitors said they found interesting things to see in the centre, 98% even agreed or strongly agreed that they liked the atmosphere of the building, and 94% even said it increased their knowledge.
“Working with the team at the Great Tapestry of Scotland, we will use these insights to further explore opportunities for this fantastic national asset to support continued regeneration in the south of Scotland.”
The Great Tapestry of Scotland is a visual account of the people’s story of Scotland, delving into 420 million years of the country’s history, heritage, innovations and culture.
The centre opened in 2021 and earned a five-star attraction status from VisitScotland.
The findings from the SPOT group also detailed that more than 30% of those surveyed were returning visitors.
The research team found that the demographics reflected the post-pandemic national tourism trend for domestic holidays, with more than 28% of visitors to the centre being local, and more than 60% coming from overseas with the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada being the most common countries.
Annique Armstrong, VisitScotland destination development director for the South of Scotland, said: “The Great Tapestry of Scotland has been a fantastic addition to the visitor offering in Galashiels since it opened in 2021.
“Despite the challenging operating circumstances in recent years, the Great Tapestry of Scotland has continued to go from strength to strength and, as this research shows, has had a positive impact on the town centre and local businesses in Galashiels.”
Retailers in the town have welcomed the attraction as they have reported an increase in footfall since the centre#s opening, with Mike Gray, chair of Energise Galashiels Trust, adding: “It’s brilliant to see the hugely positive impact that the Great Tapestry of Scotland and our associated Energise Galashiels Trust regeneration initiatives, which are funded by the South of Scotland Enterprise and Scottish Borders Council, are delivering in our town centre.
“The results from the University of Aberdeen’s study reinforce what we’re seeing on the ground. There really is a renewed positivity about Galashiels with many businesses reporting increased footfall from those who have come to see our town’s new five- star visitor attraction.”
The tapestry is one of the world’s longest and was hand-stitched by a team of 1000 stitchers, as Alexander McCall-Smith’s vision came to life.
It was designed by artist Andrew Crummy and a team of stitchers around Scotland, making it one of the biggest community art projects to take place in the country.
