Scottish tourism could be hit by wind farms
Scottish tourism chiefs have admitted for the first time that wind farms could drive tourists away.
VisitScotland has said an application to put turbines on a site north of Dumfries could have a ‘detrimental effect’ on tourism, reports the Daily Mail.
Its statement comes after Alex Salmond claimed wind farms ‘enhance our appeal as a country’.
VisitScotland says it does not oppose wind farms in principle and earlier this year it published a survey which concluded four out of five tourists would not be put off visiting Scotland by the turbines.
However, it has admitted that a ten-turbine wind farm at Minnygap, Dumfriesshire, on the side of coast-to-coast walk called Southern Upland Way, could hurt tourism.
VisitScotland said: "There have been a number of applications for wind farm developments along the route of the walk. Should all of these be granted, there could be a cumulative detrimental effect on walkers."
There are as many as 2,700 turbines north of the Border and seven applications a day are made to councils to erect more.
Opponents have warned that if every planned turbine goes ahead, there could be more than 5,000 turbines blanketing Scotland.
Diane
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