News / Delight at ‘buzz on the street’ as Lerwick tourist centre throws open its doors
“IT’S GREAT to see a buzz on the street”.
Fittingly it was visitors from the cruise ship Renaissance who were the first to flood Lerwick Tourist Centre as it finally re-opened to the public.
With a snip of the scissors, a protracted wait for a dedicated local tourist hub in Lerwick was ended at an opening ceremony this morning (Wednesday).
The building’s future was left up in the air in July 2024 after VisitScotland decided to pull out, with widespread sadness about its closure.
But Elaine Nicolson and Netta Simpson swooped in to save a Lerwick establishment that they could the “heart of the Market Cross” in April last year.
One year on, the building’s doors have been thrown open to the public – and an influx of visitors showed just why it has been so missed.
Shetland Tourism Association will rent and run the tourist office, with its shelves adorned with goods made by around 40 local crafters.
Nicolson described herself as feeling a “peerie bit overwhelmed” as visitors and locals alike flocked through the doors.
“It’s really nice to see, it has been a lot of work,” she told Shetland News.
Jacqueline Leask, one of those who will be helping to run the tourist office, said she was “relieved” to finally get the tourist office back open.
“It’s been a lot of work behind the scenes, and it has been a challenge,” she said.
“I’ve only been involved over the last six months, but the crafters have given me an awful lot of support.
“It’s been a massive education but I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m absolutely overjoyed to see it back open.”
The key thing for Leask was to “give crafters somewhere on the street to sell their goods”.
“Hopefully one day they will be opening a shop next door to us,” she added.
Shetland Tourism Association chief Amanda Hawick is another person who has fought to get the tourist office doors back open.
She was keen to stress that they had done it with “no public funding” but said it was a vital resource to protect Shetland’s heritage and culture.
“Shetland is a small place but we have so much to offer here,” Hawick said.
“We felt it was so important to get these doors open again. We had so many people get in touch with us to say it was a travesty that the doors were shut.”
Hawick described Simpson and Nicolson as their “fairy godmothers”, who had swooped in to save the building and handed it over to the STA.
She said she was “absolutely over the moon to get it back open”.
As we survey the scene from the upstairs office looking down on to the Market Cross, tourists continue to stream into the building.
Hawick said she “can’t believe how many folk are coming through the doors already”.
The team responsible for getting the building back open have “put hundreds of hours of our time in”, she explained.
Initially the tourist office will be run by volunteers, which means it “can’t be open seven days a week”.
Leask said the tourist office would publish online and in its windows what days it would be open, while Nicolson added it would be open “as and when” people were available.
“Visit Scotland had seven people opening the doors, we have a 16-hour part time member of staff,” Hawick said.
“So we’re appealing to anybody that wants to volunteer to come in and help us.”
The Lerwick Tourist Office was really a space for crafters to display their wares, she said, with the 40 crafters on show giving the STA a small donation for displaying their work.
“We wanted something to display as many crafters as possible,” Hawick said.
“It’s a great opportunity for them.”
She added it was “great to see a buzz on the street”, and added that they were already looking at ways to improve the tourist office’s offering.
That could be through a space for exhibitions, a crafter’s day or a hot desk which people can get in touch about renting.
Leask agreed, saying that they were “open on how we improve, how we change things for the better”.
“We need some paintings up on the wall, so we’re appealing for folk that want to display their art,” she added.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
