OUR MUSEUM celebrating the town of Linlithgow’s history and heritage has secured one of the highest quality assurance accolades from the national tourism organisation.
Linlithgow Museum, which re-opened earlier this year following extensive refurbishment and the creation of a new visitor centre, has achieved the prestigious 5-Star Museum award from VisitScotland – the first museum in West Lothian to achieve this standard and one of seven businesses across the region to gain the 5-star award.
Operated by the Linlithgow Heritage Trust (LHT), the free visitor attraction features three new galleries and a flexible community space, bringing to life the West Lothian town’s history and heritage, including its connections to Mary, Queen of Scots, the Battle of Linlithgow Bridge and the world’s first assassination with a firearm.
VisitScotland Regional Director Neil Christison visited the museum, located in the Linlithgow Partnership Centre on the High Street, to present the award.
He said: “Congratulations to Linlithgow Museum on this fantastic achievement. The new museum is a fantastic addition to the tourism offering in the region.
“Our Quality Assurance scheme helps businesses to reach their full potential and truly shine. The scheme is about more than just the ‘stars’ on the door - it’s about the entire visitor experience, about investing in your business, driving-up quality and creating jobs.
“Delivering a quality experience that meets, and exceeds, visitor expectations is crucial in making Scotland a must-visit, must-return destination.”
William Morrison, Chair, Linlithgow Heritage Trust, said: “We are delighted that the huge amount of work invested by the trust’s staff and dedicated team of volunteers has resulted in our new Linlithgow Museum achieving a five-star award from VisitScotland.
“The project hasn’t however just delivered a lovely new visitor attraction, our ambitious community activity plan comprising of archaeology digs, oral history interviews, animation, drama and singer-songwriter projects; has ensured that the museum has established strong connections with the local community also.
“The Linlithgow Heritage Trust are extremely grateful for the support provided by our various funders which include National Heritage Lottery Fund, LEADER West Lothian, Museums Galleries Scotland and West Lothian Council. We are extremely proud that the museum has achieved superb feedback from visitors, and in just 6 months we have managed to double the visitor numbers that our old museum space used to achieve in a calendar year!”
VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance schemes can open the door to new customers. It is a powerful marketing tool and works well with online review sites in using an independent perspective to measure visitor experience against tried and tested criteria, so visitors know exactly what to expect.
For more information on VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance Scheme, go to visitscotland.org
