Iconic Falkirk Kelpies losing £600,000 a year despite popularity

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The home of Falkirk's iconic Kelpies is looking at ways to generate more income as it emerged it is making a loss of £600,000 a year despite being one of Scotland's most popular tourist attractions.The 300-hectare site costs £2.1 million to maintain every year but generates an income of £1.5 million from its cafes and visitor centre, Kelpie tours and car parking.

Created almost ten years ago, the Kelpies have become one of Scotland's most recognisable tourist attractions. Members of Falkirk Council's executive heard that an estimated 600,000 visitors to the Helix in 2021, spent in the region of £84 million supporting local businesses and jobs.

Yesterday (Tuesday) councillors agreed to a new strategy for visitors that hopes to welcome one million visitors a year by 2028, in the hope that many will stay longer in the district and spend more money locally.The five-year strategy aims to increase the income to £1.75 million, while protecting the award-winning environment.The park will be expected to reduce the subsidy it currently receives from Falkirk Council by around £180,000 in order to help cut the massive £65 million budget gap currently facing the local authority.Manager Lesley O'Hare said that the intention is to "close the gap between income and expenditure by growing income rather than looking at cuts to our expenditure".Members heard that the visitor centre - including the cafe and gift shop - welcomed 436,912 visitors, smashing its annual target of 375,000.

However, it is currently almost at capacity and improvements being suggested include extending the visitor centre and cafe to provide shelter for the many people who visit the park with their dogs.They also want to increase the number of events that are held by