New owner and refurbishment planned for Loch Ness Centre

A new attraction group is taking over The Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition ahead of a planned reopening in spring.

Continuum Attractions is taking a long lease of the iconic Highland tourism site, with the firm announcing a £1.5 million investment in the refurbishment and reopening of the centre to enhance the visitor experience and allow them to explore the legend and myths of Loch Ness.

The upgrade will focus on telling the globally renowned story behind Nessie, exploring the myths and the scientific research, that has seen the legendary monster become one of Scotland’s most famous brand icons. The centre attracts around 1.6 million people per year.

The major refurbishment of the visitor experience will take 12 weeks to complete, with a newly named The Loch Ness Centre reopening in spring.

Continuum Attractions, is taking over one of Scotland’s most famous visitor attractions, The Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition.

Chris Taylor, VisitScotland regional leadership director, said: “Loch Ness is renowned the world over for its most elusive resident, Nessie, and indeed the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition has and will continue to attract visitors from around the world each year.

“In Scotland’s Year of Stories, it is great to hear that this investment will mean that even more people will have the chance to learn all about Nessie – the subject of so many myths, tales and stories over the years.”

Michael Golding, chief executive at Visit Inverness Loch Ness, said: "We are delighted to welcome Continuum Attractions to the destination and are working with them to ensure the story and experience are authentically local for our visitors. The destination continues to attract significant investment and collectively this ensures the area remains a must-visit destination in any visit to Scotland.”