To diversify the tourism growth, Scotland plans to build a major £10 million outdoor adventure project.
This £10 million outdoor adventure project is aiming to bring more mountain bike visitors to Scotland and help to diversify the economy of the north-east.
Aberdeenshire-based charity North East Trail Centre Organisation (Netco) plans to deliver a chairlift-serviced mountain bike park and adventure centre with dry ski-slopes and snowboarding facilities near Aberdeen.
The proposed site of the 256 hectares outdoor centre is Durris Forest in Deeside, Aberdeenshire, located south-west of Aberdeen.
This new theme park would be the largest mountain bike infrastructure project ever undertaken in the north-east and thought to be the first of its kind in Scotland.
A recent economic impact assessment, commissioned by the group, suggests the £10m project could bring over £2m of gross added value (GVA) a year into the region’s economy and attract more than 100,000 annual visitors.
Scotland is a country where mountain biking is rapidly growing. This mountain biking sector has helped bring a multi-million pound boost to the economy.
Last year, the national strategic framework for mountain biking – thought to be the first of its kind in the world – estimates that mountain biking tourism generates over £100,000 million a year for the Scottish economy.
Netco hopes that the investing in extensive mountain bike trails close to Aberdeen will further strengthen Scotland’s global reputation as a world-leading mountain biking destination.
Belinda Miller, head of economic development at Aberdeenshire Council, said that this is an exciting and innovative proposal from Netco and one that has the potential to put this part of Scotland on the map for family-friendly adventure sports facilities. The regional economic strategy of Netco is founded on diversification and a mountain bike and snow sports centre would certainly help them towards this.
