Flock of Da Vinci Tourists Answers Church Prayers
NICHOLAS CHRISTIAN

SCOTLAND'S churches are enjoying a boom in tourist visitor numbers amid the publicity surrounding the Da Vinci Code.

Churches and places of worship north of the Border have seen a rise of 13.8% in the overall number of visitors for 2005 from 597,107 in 2004 to 679,794 last year. The rise represented a significant recovery following a slump of 2.7% in the previous year.

Rosslyn Chapel, the Midlothian church which was highlighted in the blockbusting novel - the film of which is being released next month - has played a major role in the rise.

In 2005, the chapel saw an increase of 72% in visitor numbers compared with the previous year, with 118,151 compared to 68,603 the previous year and just 37,199 in 2003.

Other Scottish churches which are pulling in the visitors include Glasgow Cathedral, which was up 7.3% over the year, from 125,074 to 134,172.

The Cathedral Church of St Paul in Dundee, which was celebrating its 100-year anniversary as a cathedral and 150-year anniversary as a church, saw an even more dramatic rise of 314% from 1,000 to 4,147.

The Italian Chapel on the Orkney Islands is another of the top performers, attracting 89,825 visitors.

A VisitScotland spokeswoman said: "Although the Da Vinci Code has undoubtedly helped raise the profile of Rosslyn Chapel in particular, it may also serve as momentum for raising the profile as Scotland as a whole as a place to visit."

She added: "It also highlights the motivating themes of Scotland as a place with a rich history but also myths, legends and tales of years gone, something which fascinates and draws visitors to a destination. Also, with more than 50 million people worldwide claiming Scottish ancestry, many visitors are drawn here to trace their roots, also making the sorts of attractions in this category a particular draw."

The film version of the Da Vinci Code is due to be released in UK cinemas next month and features Hollywood star Tom Hanks and French film actress Audrey Tautou.

Scottish tourism chiefs hope to use the publicity surrounding the film, based on the controversial Dan Brown book, to draw tourists to Scotland. The book and the film both feature Rosslyn Chapel and its mysterious carvings as the possible key to theories about the Holy Grail and the origins of Christianity.

Source: http://living.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=1068&id=645242006

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