Scottish Canals and The Falkirk Wheel: Tourism and Transformation

The Scottish inland waterways are playing an increasing part in tourism and economic development and regeneration. The transformation of the Scottish canals deals with industrial and transport heritage in post-industrial locations where the tourism visitor market is vital for encouraging economic growth. The competitive environment has changed, with new emerging destinations and attractions.

1. Scottish Canals and the Falkirk Wheel: Tourism and Transformation Professor J John Lennon Andrew McKeane Dr John Harris
2. 2 Contents Scottish Canals – Understanding the historical context Visitor Attractions as development catalysts – The Falkirk Wheel and the attraction life cycle – The Kelpies and Helix Park – Transformation at a Regional Level – Next Steps
3. ✓ Building stronger communities ✓ Attracting new customers and income ✓ Working with empowered, motivated people
4. 137 linear miles of waterway network •60 miles – Caledonian • 35 miles – Forth & Clyde • 31 miles – Union • 9 miles – Crinan • 2 miles – Monkland Other water assets • 17 reservoirs • 5,087 Km2 of reservoir space •4 lochs with navigation rights – inc Loch Ness Assets
5. 5 Ft. Augustus Edinburgh Falkirk Glasgow
6. 6 Tourism & Canals: Perceptions of Heritage • A complex relationship due to industrial origins • Scotland’s lowland canals closed in 1960s whilst the National Trust celebrated its 75th birthday in 1970 • In Britain, two stereotypical images provide a challenge – rural narrowboats or urban decay
7. 7 Context – Tourism & Canals • Late1990s Falkirk
8. •Total £83.5m cost • 7 new opening bridges • 28 new road bridges • 9 new locks built • 32 locks refurbished • 38 masonry bridges refurbished •5 km of new canal formed •300,000 tonnes of silt removed The Millennium Link Project 36 Major Obstructions removed
9. Transformation…
10. Developments 10
11. Context – Tourism & Canals 11 2002 – The Falkirk Wheel
12. The Falkirk Wheel (urban) • Completely new build (old factory site) • Replaced 11 locks • Unique rotating boat lift • Opened 2002 • c.500,000 site visitors p.a. • Re-joined two canals
13. 1 3 The Falkirk Wheel •Iconic modern structure in a post industrial landscape •Addition of children's water playparks, phases I and II, to widen appeal •2015 most successful year ever •Unusual life cycle for a visitor attraction •Current Development and investment plans
14. 1 4 Monthly distribution 2002-2015 100000 90000 80000 70000 60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0 Januar y Februar y March Apri l May Augus t Septembe r Octobe r November December Number of visitors June July Months of year Falkirk Wheel - Monthly Average 2002-15
15. 1 5 Falkirk Wheel 0 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000 600000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Number of visitors 2008 Year Falkirk Wheel 2002-2014 Visitors Passengers • On average, 28% of visitors go on the boat trip
16. Scottish Attractions Average Performance 2003-2015 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Scotland - Total 56,16 0 58,93 1 Free Attraction inc Falkirk Wheel 81,42 3 82,97 8 Paid Attraction 33,00 7 37,22 6 63,260 67,316 67,352 63,404 69,397 69,690 73,084 74,054 78,052 78,287 79,991 93,528 106,027 105,715 96,393 104,555 105,476 115,149 114,195 114,645 114,820 116,669 38,119 37,901 37,811 37,343 40,339 40,127 38,624 40,276 43,630 43,343 44,907 30,00 0 120,00 0 Average Yearly Visitor Numbers - Per Attraction (Extracted from the Moffat Centre Visitor Attraction Monitors 2004 - 2015) 110,000 100,000 90,000 80,000 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000
17. Scottish Attraction Life Cycle (based on openings 2000-2014) Cash flow Tim e Life cycle Introductio n Growt h Maturit y Declin e
18. Falkirk Wheel Annual Visitor Numbers (2002-2014) 0 100000 200000 300000 400000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Number of visitors 2008 Year Annual Visitors 600000 Maturity 500000
19. 19 The Kelpies at Helix Park
20. Falkirk Wheel Annual Visitor Numbers (2009-2015) 476,77 8 440,62 3 413,00 4 414,38 6 406,69 3 514,17 0 605,43 2 375,00 0 425,00 0 475,00 0 525,00 0 575,00 0 625,00 0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Yearly Visitor Numbers - Falkirk Wheel (Extracted from the Moffat Centre Visitor Attraction Monitors 2009 - 2015) Total Visitors to Falkirk Wheel
21. Transport Attractions Average Annual Visitor Numbers 2009-15 153,28 7 156,00 8 145,16 5 142,96 3 125,46 4 138,19 9 107,07 4 125,98 0 113,17 5 111,51 3 105,28 8 82,27 4 86,28 4 75,00 0 95,00 0 115,00 0 135,00 0 175,000 178,421 155,000 2009 (8) 2010 (6) 2011 (7) 2012 (9) 2013 (8) 2014 (10) 2015 (10) Transport-Related Category Average Yearly Visitor Numbers (Extracted from the Moffat Centre Visitor Attraction Monitors 2009 - 2015) Average Inc Falkirk Wheel Average Exc Falkirk Wheel
22. 22 Development
23. 23 The Kelpies at Helix Park •Celebrating industrial heritage •Majority grant funding •Part of wider green space development •Social and economic goals •Monumental sculpture captured public imagination
24. The Kelpies & Helix Park The Kelpies From Falkirk to New York
25. 2 5 The Kelpies at Helix Park • The Kelpies • Opened 2014 • c.1m site visitors • c.65,000 tour visitors • Young attraction • Staged development • Visitor centre opened 2015 • Top 10 attraction in 1st year
26. 2 6 Falkirk Destination Development • Galvanised industry
27. Visit Falkirk: Tourism Partnership Steering Group
28. Visit Falkirk Bus • Linked key attractions and railway stations • 30,000 users Easter to October 2015 • Positive feedback from TFW staff and users • Future discussions underway
29. 2 9 V&A Museum of Design, Dundee • Raising awareness and influencing perceptions through alternative methods • Falkirk Wheel as design icon • New audiences • Piggyback momentum for V&A opening in 2017/18
30. Opportunities • The Kelpies / Helix Park – Create interpretation, digital and physical – Specialist tours – Utilising artistic merit and space to create sculpture park
31. L ife Cycle…
32. Canals Contributing to Scotland
33. 3 3 Future: Challenges & Opportunities • Maintaining destination growth in Falkirk • Challenge to create wider economic impact
34. 3 4 Thank You!