Scotland’s islands are the best places to experience heritage according to a list ranking local council areas.
Orkney came first for the second time running in the Heritage Index by the Royal Society for the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
Heritage can be anything from historic listed buildings in an area to levels of public participation in the community.
Shetland also scored highly in third place, with the Western Isles coming fifth and Argyll and Bute sixth.
The rankings reflect the islands’ rich heritage assets and local efforts to maintain and promote them.
Other tourist destinations also scored well – the Highlands just missed out on the top 10, coming in twelfth, while Edinburgh, Stirling and Glasgow also feature in the top 10.
Hannah Webster, senior researcher at the RSA, said: “Scotland should be proud of the heritage on its doorstep, but also wary of threats to the sector as a result of the pandemic. Local heritage strategies, replicating the success of the highlands and islands, could bring visitors to other parts of Scotland, and promote inclusive economic growth across the country.
“The question is: what’s next for the heritage sector? It certainly needs support from government to keep things going, but we are hopeful that it can come out of the pandemic with a new generation of supporters. Lockdown has forced us to think more intensely about our local areas, and we’ve seen a colossal uptick in staycationers this year.”
The index, in collaboration with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, is built from various factors affecting an area’s heritage, including funding streams and more, to reflect the state of heritage in Scotland and the UK today.
Alongside the overall index, there is also a measure of “heritage potential” – areas that have strong but untapped heritage assets. These were mainly in the central belt, with Inverclyde coming out on top. The report argues that these areas could do more to promote and preserve their heritage as part of a post-Covid recovery.
Dundee scored second in both the overall index and in heritage potential, suggesting that it could do even more to build on its already strong heritage activity. Aberdeen, another city with renowned industrial history, also features in the top 10.
