The Open Gives Fife A 2015 Tourism Boost

The Open golf tournament in St Andrews helped make 2015 a bumper year for tourism in Fife.

Visitors spend over £310m in the Kingdom every year.

Scotland's tourism organisation is listing its highlights from the past 12 months.

This year included a special celebration of food and drink.

VisitScotland Regional Partnerships Director, Manuela Calchini, said: "Our reputation for quality fare is growing, Fife now has a trio of Michelin-starred restaurants after The Cellar in Anstruther earned the prestigious accolade this summer. We also recently welcomed two new distilleries, Kingsbarns Distillery and Eden Mill Brewery and Distillery - both have already become important additions to the region’s food and drink offering.
 
"July provided one of the biggest highlights of 2015 as St Andrews, the Home of Golf, welcomed back The Open Championship. Up to 200,000 golf fans and an estimated TV audience of nearly 600 million people are believed to have enjoyed the action. The Championship is expected to generate a significant boost to the region’s economy, particularly when play was extended by a day. 

"It was incredible to see images of locations and destinations we see every day gracing TV screens across the country. This type of exposure can play a huge part in encouraging people to visit a destination.

"Another major milestone this year, which I hope will boost tourism at the opposite end of the region, was the Forth Bridge securing UNESCO World Heritage Site status. What an incredible achievement for an outstanding feat of engineering celebrating its 125th anniversary.

"As we enter the winter season, many may think that the tourism sector is winding down, taking stock and preparing for 2016, but in reality, work continues all year round to investigate and develop new and innovative ways to attract visitors to Fife."