National Trust for Scotland to close some properties

Sad news from Edinburgh the other day, with NTS announcing that it is closing some of its properties, reducing opening hours and cutting services at others. The Trust has been reviewing its operations for some time and this move appears to reflect both the higher costs of conserving, presenting and managing the properties and also the difficulties the organisation has been facing in generating sufficient revenue to fund its activities.

What is interesting is the fact that this move has been made at a time when commentators are predicting a bumper year for UK tourism, with the weak pound keeping Brits at home as well as making us more competitive to the European and US markets.

Heritage properties such as those managed by the Trust represent an important part of our tourism product, and if we as a nation cannot secure the funds necessary to keep them open on a regular basis, the experience of many will certainly be diminished.