The Russians are coming

Published on Sunday 6 May 2007 02:55

AT THE end of the Second World War, General Dwight D Eisenhower was gifted a luxurious apartment in the upper reaches of Culzean Castle as thanks for his role as supreme commander of the victorious Allied forces.

The American general loved the place, and visited often. High on the Ayrshire cliffs, he found a tranquillity that enabled him to assess the political scene and the growing threat of the Soviet Union. It was at Culzean that Eisenhower mulled over the details of his famous foreign policy 'doctrine', which in the 1950s kept the West safe from the Red menace.

Knowing all this makes the scene unfolding right now in the general's private bedroom all the more remarkable. Because here a party of Russian women have achieved a victory never matched by the Red Army all those years ago. They are trampling over the very carpet where once the Eisenhower smalls were strewn, primping their hair in his mirror and debating the colour of the curtains.

These 21 women and their four male colleagues work in the tourism business and are based in Moscow, St Petersburg or Ekaterinburg. They have been let loose here for a few days to assess what Scotland has to offer, so they can go home and sell our wee country to a new breed of visitor - massively rich Russian oligarchs.

In the hour or so since their bus parked itself at Culzean's gates, the women have formed crystal-clear opinions. On the downside, the absence of vodka to accompany their lunch has been universally deplored. But the positives are far more numerous. They have stuck their noses in the beautiful camellias that fill the garden, breathed in their scent and pronounced themselves satisfied. They have enjoyed the unexpected sound of a fiddle orchestra practising in the castle yard, and allowed themselves to be photographed with Culzean's famous pistol collection. They are a law unto themselves, and they are loving it.

And now two of the most elegantly dressed women are expertly prodding Eisenhower's mattress, assessing it for lumps and bumps. Another, with a Tacchini bag slung over her shoulder, is moodily gazing from the window over Culzean's lawn and considering the quality of the view. Four others are addressing more personal concerns, and have formed a queue to avail themselves of the facilities in the general's en-suite. The rest are listening intently as their interpreter, Oxana Rogovets, begins her interrogation of their host, Ronnie Breingan, a National Trust of Scotland guide. "So. How much will this cost?" she demands, getting straight down to the nitty gritty.

"There are six apartments here," answers the grey-haired Breingan, who has been volunteered as the castle's first and only line of defence against the invaders. "This is the most expensive because this is where Eisenhower himself slept. It costs 375 a night for bed and breakfast." A self-satisfied smile plays briefly on the Scotsman's lips - as if he thinks he has priced his guests out of the market. But this is far from the case.

Rather than gasps of disbelief at the big numbers, there's a stroking of chins and a nodding of heads. Cheap at twice the price is the majority verdict. After all, 21st-century Moscow has more billionaires than any other city in the world, apart from New York, and these women have clients who could buy Culzean outright.

"We need more quality accommodation," whispers Yulia Vaganova to me, "something with prestige that people can talk about at home." It's not long since Vaganova, a sales manager with a Moscow travel company, organised a discreet break for a small family party. That group of six took over the whole of Myres Castle, in Fife, at a cost of 2,250 a night.

With this kind of disposable income, it's easy to picture the scene at a certain type of Muscovite dinner party. "My dear chap, I am well aware that you own an English football club, but do you really mean to say that you haven't invested in a Scottish castle yet?" If you think it couldn't happen here, consider what has come to pass on the other side of the Channel. At the end of the 1990s, you would have struggled to find a Russian anywhere in France. Now the tills at Paris's Galeries Lafayette ring out to rouble billionaires, and if someone prangs your yacht on the Cte d'Azur the chances are that you'll have to swap insurance details with a Russian.

The first signs of invasion on these shores became apparent at the turn of the year, when Edinburgh's exclusive Balmoral hotel announced that it had achieved a significant rise in the number of Russian guests by offering sightseeing trips in limousines and helicopters. For country retreats like Culzean there is an opportunity to offer a different kind of exclusivity to the nouveau-riche. "Castles are ideal," confides Galina Karzona, who represents British Airways in Russia. "Our customers are often very rich and in the public eye. They want to come here with family and friends and not be seen while they are here."

And however dry Culzean's assets might seem to a homegrown day-tripper, they appear to exert a strong appeal to these visitors. The Russians crane their necks when Breingan points out the best pieces among "the largest flintlock collection in the world". As he explains the nuances of the Robert Adam architecture, they nod sagely, and when he directs them to the portrait of the Covenanter and minister Alexander Henderson they even turn to gaze on his hard Presbyterian countenance. Not since Rasputin has a clergyman exercised such an influence over the Russian elite. "It is good," smiles Alexey Kargin, from Intourist, as we make our way around the rooms. And then he adds with a wink. "But no vodka, no fun."

I have been curious about these Russians ever since I heard about VisitScotland Expo, the tourist board's annual exhibition for overseas tour operators. This spring's event attracted 500 foreign buyers to an exhibition at Ingilston, all of them keen to discover the joys Scotland has to offer. Over a few days I have encountered the delegates. Many are familiar types - the American operators whose customers shuffle their thick ankles over our golf courses, and the Dutch, French and Germans representing the continental hordes who disappear up the west coast every summer. Others are from more exotic places: China and South Korea, Latvia and the Faroe Islands.

Once you have met them all you realise how many different Scotlands there are, something for almost every kind of visitor. But to get to grips with the impression Scotland makes on the latest wave of tourists, the obvious thing is to join a group who have never visited this country before. Which is where the Russians come in.

Not everything has been perfect for them. Their first-night hotel, in Glasgow, was undeniably opulent and its staff unfailingly polite. But whoever booked the place for them had failed to consider the aesthetic impact of its location, on the unfashionable side of Argyle Street. On a misty morning by the Clyde, with the detritus of the previous evening blowing along the cobbles, Scotland's second city doesn't look its best. When I join the party, travel journalist Maksim Shandarov is slouched in his seat at the rear of the coach. "It said in my guide book that Glasgow is a beautiful city," he grumbles. "I went for a walk last night, but I didn't find it."

He sighs and stares gloomily out of the window as the tour bus crosses the Clyde and begins to grind its way past the car-exhaust workshops and derelict factories of the city's Southside. Over the tannoy the tour guide is beginning her commentary in Russian, which will be the soundtrack to the day. Immediately Shandarov turns and asks, "Can that really be true? She says that Glasgow is the greenest city in the United Kingdom." He shakes his head in utter disbelief.

As the bus heads southwards, Shandarov's depression lifts with the morning fog. The guide's commentary rattles along, and for a while the only identifiable words of English are 'William Burrell'. Around Newton Mearns, Robert Burns gets his first name-check, and soon a string of familiar Scottish names can be picked out among sentences spoken in Cyrillic script. Ayrshire, the Lowlands and the Highlands are followed by Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, Braveheart and Mel Gibson. I'm waiting for Sawney Bean, Sydney Devine and square sausage when I realise that the bus has stopped.

We have arrived in Alloway, where, as the sign proclaims, Robert Burns was born in 1759. Many of the Russians have studied the poet at school, and their attitude is suitably respectful. Some trek off to look inside the church. Others photograph each other outside the cottage where he was born. Inside its grounds, Vaganova cuddles into a bust of the bard as she gets her picture taken.

It's only when the group are exposed to the standard heritage-centre audiovisual presentation that any discord breaks out. At first it seems that Rogovets is prepared to translate a baleful English script that kicks off with a description of "an auld clay biggin", but when the voiceover begins to wax lyrical about the arrangement of the roof trusses, she throws up her hands - and there's an exodus from the cottage.

Back in the car park, three of the men have managed to buy some beer and are lounging on a bench. "What kind of people live in this town?" Kargin asks me, just as a Bentley cruises by.

"People who can afford those," I tell him.

"Really? Those are taxis in Moscow."

The good-natured mood is only heightened by the experience of Culzean Castle and its beautiful grounds. As the day wears on and the coach motors up to its final destination, the luxurious Turnberry Westin Resort, the sense of well-being is almost tangible. It's late in the afternoon, and the hotel offers the prospect of a bar liberally stocked with single malts and a health club full of sweet-swelling potions. A wave of consumerist bliss breaks over the Russians. I ask Shandarov if this is better than Glasgow. "Of course. There is no comparison," he says.

But danger is lurking. Before the Russians can go to their rooms, the hotel's marketeers have arranged some light sporting activities. A guide leads them down to the golf academy, which was set up by Colin Montgomerie, the Ryder Cup golfer who is a local hero in these parts. Inside the smart new building, a few words from Montgomerie are etched on to the wall. He boasts, "I know that if you are one of life's average golfers, with a handicap of 18 or so, I could definitely knock a few shots off your score."

In the driving ranges at the back of the building, Shandarov and Kargin quickly prove that, whatever else they might be, they are not two of life's average golfers. Shandarov is left-handed and can't work out his clubs; Kargin doesn't know which way up to hold his driver. As the rest of us gather behind them, the men finally sort themselves out. They swing. They miss. We laugh.

Around about now, one of the women nips out in front to take a photo. The men swing, and this time Shandarov connects. The ball lands in bunker 40 yards away, and it's a miracle there isn't a female ear attached to it. We laugh. But not all of us. "Was anyone killed or injured back there?" asks the bloke at reception as the hotel's pale-faced guide leads the Russians away.

"Not yet - but they've got archery next."

Somewhere in an ancient Ayrshire castle, the ghost of General Eisenhower chuckles a vengeful chuckle.

How do you sell Scotland?

Jakup Sverri Kass product manager, Smyril Line, Faroe Islands

Smyril Line is a ferry company that serves Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Denmark and Germany. Our Scottish product is divided into two groups.

In the Faroe Islands and Iceland, we target families who go on holiday with their own cars, and who might go camping or stay at caravan sites. Scotland offers them a much cheaper alternative than Denmark or Norway for a holiday with the chance to do a little bit more exploring, to see the wildlife or go hiking. You won't find everything in one spot.

Our other market is the empty-nesters, whose children have left home. They are offered a product including castles, history and whisky. Tours can be tailor-made or self-guided.

For more than 20 years, there was a ferry service between Torshavn and Scrabster, but this stopped in 1996. We have revived it again this year, and are confident it will succeed. Last year we brought a Christmas cruise into Invergordon from the Faroes, carrying 800 people. After we had docked they travelled down to Inverness by coach and bought everything they could. When the shops closed, we took them home again.

Kerstin Tegtmeyer managing director, British Travel Company, Frankfurt, Germany

Germans love Scotland, and more people than ever are travelling here. The perception of Scotland is as a country for individuals - not just individual travellers, but individually minded people. They don't want to book something where everything is arranged, they want to get really involved. That's why we find they want to stay in bed-and-breakfast accommodation.

In my country, we don't have people opening their houses and taking paying guests. I find that absolutely charming, and many Germans do too. It's not a question of being cheaper than a hotel - the B&B experience is a great way to get to know the country, with someone who knows the area and knows what they are talking about. It is a hands-on thing to do.

Scotland also has the heroic touch, the 'Rob Roy' feel. The main impression is of tough guys in kilts, and Munro-bagging. It's a rough, tough image in a wild country. This is a place where you can go and explore without having to be with hundreds of other people. It's a kind of heroic adventure. You can come back after climbing a Munro and you can say, "I was a hero for a while."

Karl Eklund sales manager, SAS airlines, Sweden

For many Scandinavians, Scotland is considered to be a friendly country with all kinds of connections across the North Sea. There is a real affinity at work here.

Tourism in Scotland is focused either on hiking and the great outdoors or on golf. It doesn't matter whether we are dealing with the leisure market or with business groups and conferences, golf is huge for us. But other aspects of Scottish culture and heritage also have enormous appeal.

Whisky is very popular. It doesn't matter whether the trip is corporate or private, Scandinavians will arrange tours around distilleries. There are plenty of Swedes who have become connoisseurs of single malts.

This year SAS has started direct flights from Stockholm to Glasgow, to complement our flights to Edinburgh. People can fly into Edinburgh and then travel around. Tourists increasingly like to package their own trips, to go where they want, to see the west coast. Now they can return via Glasgow.

Yulia Vaganova sales manager, MITS Travel, Moscow

We can offer anything to people who want to come to Scotland, but most of what we do is for the upper end of the market. Some people are looking for a quiet retreat, but others are looking for more activities. We want to be able to offer high-quality hotels, or even castles, with an opportunity to travel around or to try things like fly-fishing.

Recently we booked a small family group of Russians into Myres Castle, in Fife, where they took over the whole establishment, and they could take trips out to Edinburgh and Stirling. Obviously a break like this is not the kind of thing everyone can afford. Another group wanted to dive, so we took them to Scapa Flow. But it can be hard to find enough five-star accommodation in remote places to meet this kind of demand.

There are no direct flights to Scotland from Moscow, and the flights to London are expensive. Accommodation is expensive too, so these visitors are mainly wealthy people - and they want the best quality.

Pattie Cunningham transatlantic sales manager, Continental Airlines, Houston, USA

I travel all over the world with my job, and Scotland has become one of my favourite places - because of the scenery and the friendly people. More travellers seem to be catching on to this, and more American tourists are aware of it as a destination.

This means that today there are great opportunities in Scotland for American tour operators. People think of Scotland as safe, clean, friendly and adventurous. And of course it offers the trip of a lifetime for a golfer - the high-end golfers really love it.

The heritage ties are strong too, the same kinds of things that draw Irish-Americans to Ireland. The Scots go back even further in American history, and there is a growing interest in the Scots and Scots-Irish who emigrated across the Atlantic.

Things like Tartan Week have really helped. This year it took over a big part of Grand Central Station in New York and created an enormous buzz around town. It's a sign of the growing interest in this country that our company has expanded its service to include Scotland. We will have 25 flights a week this summer - 14 a week into Edinburgh and 11 into Glasgow.