Russia's 'Michael Palin' plugs Capital on TV

Published on Wednesday 1 July 2009 09:57

A TELEVISION programme presented by "Russia's answer to Michael Palin" is to promote Edinburgh to more than 20 million viewers.

Celebrity presenter Dmitry Krylov visited the Capital last week and his hit show Neputivue Zametki, translated as Travel Notes, will sell the best of the city to Russian viewers.

During the visit, the TV crew stayed at Mercure Point Hotel on Bread Street and visited a number of attractions including Mary Kings Close, Edinburgh Castle and the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre.

Mr Krylov said: "Scotland is a wonderful country and it has been a real pleasure to see exactly what it has to offer. From the history and culture in the city to the fantastic scenery in the surrounding countryside, Edinburgh really does have it all."

The travel programme will be broadcast in October.

Sinead Feltoe, VisitScotland's regional director, said: "VisitScotland recognises and values the importance of emerging markets such as Russia, China and India and has a dedicated team targeting potential visitors from these countries.

"Our research shows that visitors from Russia favour luxury and high-end products."