Community / Tourist office under new ownership
THE VACANT tourist office in the centre of Lerwick has now finally changed hands.
The building had been owned by Shetland Islands Council (SIC), with tenants VisitScotland deciding to vacate the premises last year as part of a wider closure of its iCentres across the country.
The property, which was put on the market by the SIC last year, has been sold for £251,000.
The buyers are two local women, Elaine Nicolson and Netta Simpson, who are intending to use the premises again as a tourist facility.
Local tourism association chair Amanda Hawick said she was “very pleased” that the building has been successfully sold to the new owners and is looking forward to the tourist office opening its doors again in the future.
The building formerly hosted VisitScotland’s tourist office – a place where visitors to Shetland could access information, and shop too.
But VisitScotland shut the office last year as part of a nationwide closure of iCentres.
The council had invited offers over £200,000 for the building’s sale, or offers over £20,000 per annum for a lease.
VisitScotland’s move to close its office in Shetland was met with great disappointment locally, with a petition gaining thousands of signatures.
Recent figures showed that the Lerwick office had the highest income of all iCentres in Scotland 2023/24 after Edinburgh.
VisitScotland, however, said nationally most visitors now plan all aspects of their holiday before they leave home, gaining inspiration from online sources or tour operators and travel agents.
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