Members' Business: The Economic Potential of Robert Burns - 17 January 2018
Channel: The Scottish Parliament
Date: 2018-01-17

Joan McAlpine: The Economic Potential of Robert Burns—That the Parliament
welcomes the contribution that Robert Burns continues to make to Scotland’s economic and
cultural life; understands that business generated during the Burns season includes spending on
food and drink, hospitality, accommodation, kilt hire, printing and merchandising; notes that the
creative economy is boosted through arts events such as the Big Burns Supper Festival in
Dumfries, which is the culmination of Scotland’s £390,000 Winter Festivals Programme;
understands that year-round Burns-related tourism is on the increase thanks to Burns Scotland
partner destinations such as the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, Ellisland Farm near
Auldgirth, the Monument Centre in Kilmarnock and Burns House Museum in Mauchline, as well as
numerous places around Scotland associated with the poet; notes that Burns the brand helps
promote Scotland’s exports and trade links through Burns suppers around the globe, including
through more than 250 member clubs of the Robert Burns World Federation; understands that
Burns contributes to the success of Scotland's higher education institutions, including the Centre for Robert Burns Studies at the University of Glasgow, which encourages interest in the Bard
through publications, seminar series, conferences, community and performance events, advice to
exporters, research grant funding and international students and donor gifts, while providing strong
strategic support to the National Burns Collection; understands that the last evaluation of Robert
Burns’ economic impact on modern Scotland was completed in 2003 for the BBC by the World
Bank economist, Lesley Campbell, who estimated that he generated £157 million each year for
Scotland, and believes that this figure has grown exponentially since the research was carried out
and that celebrations of the Bard’s birthday on 25 January will be an enriching experience in every
sense of the word.

Published by the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body.

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