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MP Angus Brendan MacNeil is calling on Visit Scotland to reopen the tourist information centres in Lochmaddy, Castlebay and Lochboisdale.

 

The closures means Visit Scotland has no presence in Uist and Barra - the 70 mile stretch from Vatersay to Berneray.

 

Mr MacNeil accused Visit Scotland of “relinquishing its responsibilities to rural areas.”

 

He urged Visit Scotland to stop these “damaging closures.”

 

The MP added: “It is all well and good for tourists to get information online in areas where connectivity is robust, however, this is quite often not the case in our islands.”

Only offices in Tarbert and Stornoway remain open.

The closures are part of a strategy to cut 60% of VisitScotland information centres .

Some 39 of its 65 centres will close their doors over the next two years, starting with the Western Isles.

VisitScotland said they have experienced a 58% drop in footfall in the past 12 years, saying two out of three visitors now access information online.

The organisation is consulting with the local tourism industry over the location of a regional hub in the islands.

Tourist information office closures slammed

14 December 2017

Castlebay tourist office is shut