Yorkshire-based visitor attraction group expands north with £1.5m investment

York-based UK visitor attraction business, Continuum Attractions, which runs York’s Chocolate Story, is taking over one of Scotland’s most famous visitor destinations – The Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition.

The group is investing £1.5m into the centre’s refurbishment.

The new Loch Ness Centre, near Inverness, will become the eighth attraction within the Continuum UK-wide portfolio.

It joins The Real Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh, York’s Chocolate Story, Emmerdale Village Tour in Leeds, Coronation Street The Tour in Manchester, Greenwood Family Park in North Wales, Oxford Castle and Prison and Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth.

For nearly 20 years, Continuum Attractions also operated and marketed York’s Jorvik Viking Centre.

The major refurbishment of its most recently acquired visitor experience in Scotland will take 12 weeks to complete with a newly named “The Loch Ness Centre” reopening in spring 2023.

Juliana Delaney, chief executive of Continuum Attractions, said: “Continuum tells the real stories in real places about real people.

“The search for Nessie encapsulates all three. Having had tremendous success with the award-winning Real Mary King’s Close on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, I was keen to seek out another great Scottish story to tell. We found it on Loch Ness.”

Chris Taylor, VisitScotland regional leadership director, said: “Loch Ness is renowned the world over for its most elusive resident, Nessie, and indeed the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition has and will continue to attract visitors from around the world each year.

“In Scotland’s Year of Stories, it is great to hear that this investment will mean even more people will have the chance to learn all about Nessie – the subject of so many myths, tales and stories over the years.

“Tourism is a force for good. It creates jobs, sustains communities and contributes significantly to the economy. The impact of tourism spreads far beyond the industry itself – it benefits our economy, our community and our wellbeing.”

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