Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries awarded VisitScotland’s five-star status

EDINBURGH, Scotland, 2018-Jul-04 — /Travel PR News/ — A spectacular museum and gallery in the heart of Dunfermline’s Heritage Quarter has become the Fife town’s first five-star attraction.

Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries, which officially opened last year, has achieved VisitScotland’s top quality award.

Following a Quality Assurance visit by the national tourism organisation, the attraction received an ‘exceptional’ score in categories such as hospitality and friendliness, cleanliness and core experience.

Heather Stuart, Fife Cultural Trust’s Chief Executive, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded Visit Scotland five-star status, particularly in our first year of operation. This is a first for the Trust and indeed the town. We can’t wait to see the benefits of what this rare and prestigious accolade will bring to our venue, Dunfermline and Fife’s burgeoning tourism offering as a whole.”

Tracy McCafferty, Venue Manager, said: “This is all testament to our dedicated teams from various areas of Fife Cultural Trust – from the frontline to our volunteers and the excellent café provided by Heaven Scent – who have worked tirelessly and collaboratively to ensure every element of the visitor experience is everything it can be.”

Named as ‘Scottish Building of the Year’, the stunning structure links with the world’s first Carnegie Library and houses a new museum, exhibition galleries, a local history reading room, a new children’s library and mezzanine café.

It has been praised for bringing Dunfermline’s past to life through a series of special films, inspiring interviews, engaging computer games and collections.

Caroline Warburton, VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director, said: “Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries is a sterling addition to Fife’s tourism offering, sharing the town’s remarkable and important history with visitors from far and wide.

“To achieve a 5-star grading is a fantastic achievement and my congralutations go to all the staff who have made this possible.

“Our Quality Assurance Scheme is world-leading and provides a trusted, independent and impartial source of information for visitors. It is about much more than just a star rating – it is about the entire visitor experience.”

Developed over the last four decades in partnership with the tourism industry and informed by visitor research, VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance schemes are world-leading. QA stars alongside online reviews give visitors a balance of objective and subjective views to assist in their decision making and expectations

As well as obtaining a 5-star grading, Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries has become a member of the VisitScotland Information Partner (VIP) programme.

Launched in 2016, the innovative VIP programme, which boasts almost 2000 ambassadors, harnesses the local knowledge, warmth and enthusiasm of partners across the country to help visitors receive the warmest of welcomes and make the most of their trip to Scotland.

The initiative comes as a direct response to significant changes in visitor behaviour in the last five years, with people now using a variety of channels to access the information they need where they need it, whether it be online, on their phone or in person.

Cllr Judy Hamilton, Convener of Fife Council’s Community & Housing Services Committee, commented: “Since its opening last year it has been clear that Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries is a spectacular addition to Dunfermline’s Heritage Quarter. The cultural offering for visitors, from both near and far, is outstanding and I’m extremely pleased that it is being recognised with this accolade.”

Cllr Helen Law, Convener of the City of Dunfermline Area Committee, added: “This wonderful facility is helping to raise the visitor attraction offering of Dunfermline to levels befitting the country’s ancient capital. There’s an excitement and feeling of pride from residents and businesses about the opportunities that DCL&G brings to the table. This five star rating is the latest in a line of impressive honours for the building and the staff here that champion it so well.”

For more information about Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries visit: www.onfife.com/venues/dunfermline-carnegie-library-galleries

To learn more about VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance Scheme visit: www.visitscotland.org/business_support/quality_assurance.aspx

Notes to Editors

• Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
• VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
• The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
• This will be supported by five overarching strategies: Marketing, Events, Quality and Sustainability, Inclusive Tourism, International Engagement.

• The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
• Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
• For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
• Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
• For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
• For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com

2018 Year of Young People

• The Year of Young People (YoYP 2018) will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally
• Central to YoYP 2018 will be a celebratory events programme that puts young people at the heart of its development and delivery, creating new and valuable experiences for young Scots and the wider public, with links to the inaugural 2018 European Championships.
• Over 200 young people throughout Scotland are currently being recruited to become YoYP 2018 Ambassadors. Ambassadors will ensure that people and organisations in their communities know about what’s happening and will lead on projects and activities to create events and opportunities to celebrate young people.
• The Year of Young People will have six themes which were developed in co-production with young people themselves:
• Participation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
• Education – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
• Health and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
• Equality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
• Enterprise and regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live
• Culture – celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
• Further information on what’s happening and how people can get involved can be found on the new website www.yoyp2018.scot or @YOYP2018 on Twitter.

Press Contact:

Louise Purves
Senior Corporate Press Officer – National
North Region, Consumer PR (Scotland)
Louise.Purves@visitscotland.com
0131 472 2052
Out of hours – 0131 472 2324

Source: VisitScotland

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