Sailing ships to bring £10m treasure trove to Scottish economy

Scotland's economy is set to rake in more than £10 million when Europe's most spectacular sailing event returns for the first time in 12 years in 2011.

Ports around the country are gearing up for a cash bonanza from the Tall Ships Race, as they host the event between visits to Ireland and Norway.

The event will bring more than 70 ships and 3,000 crew members to spend more than two weeks in Scottish ports.

Greenock, in Inverclyde, and Lerwick, capital of Shetland, will play host to the vessels - ranging from small sailing boats to three-masted square-riggers - taking part in the race for four days each.

In addition, the ships participating in the event will be encouraged to take part in a spectacular nine-day non-competitive cruise up Scotland's west coast.

Vessels making the 500-mile round trip are being encouraged to visit one of 12 official "guest ports - including Campbeltown, Islay, Oban, Ullapool, Stornoway, and Stromness and Kirkwall, in Orkney - before arriving in Shetland.

With the first vessels due to arrive in Greenock in the first week of July and the Tall Ships due to bid farewell to Lerwick on 24 July, tourism bosses are expecting the event to deliver an unprecedented boom.

About 180,000 people are expected to flock to Greenock to see the vessels and enjoy a huge programme of entertainment that is being planned. A further 60,000 visitors are expected to descend on Lerwick for the four days of events.

Many of the tall ships will be open to the public, allowing them to climb aboard and meet the captains and crews. Some of the vessels, will take enthusiasts out to sea for trips.

Fiona Dally, project manager for Lerwick's hosting of the maritime event, said: "The big difference this time compared with 1999 is the Cruise in Company section, when vessels taking part in the race will be encouraged to visit many of the places along the coastline between Greenock and Shetland.

"The guest harbours are already preparing to host the tall ships and we expect the vessels taking part in the race to book into lots of harbours.

"Greenock and Shetland are obviously very different in terms of the harbours and the location. We are expecting up to 15,000 people a day to come into the harbour in Lerwick, but you have to remember that Shetland's entire population is less than double that and we expect a lot of people to come on holiday for a whole week."

Each year the Tall Ships Race moves between the North Sea, the Baltic, the Bay of Biscay and round Britain and Ireland.

VisitScotland chairman Mike Cantlay said: "The Tall Ships will undoubtedly bring tangible economic benefits, not only to communities in Greenock and Shetland.

They have the potential to have a knock-on effect right across the country."