This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Best of Scotland at G8
03/07/2005
The 'Scottish Village' at Gleneagles was officially
opened today.
The impressive structure, which forms the main entrance
to the Gleneagles complex during the G8 summit, will
showcase the best of Scotland to thousands of international
guests next week.
Opening the village, First Minister Jack McConnell said
that the village was a unique opportunity to show everyone
why Scotland is the best small country in the world.
Designed in a saltire shape, the Scottish village will
be divided into four zones promoting tourism, business,
enterprise and government.
The First Minister said:
"The Scottish Village at Gleneagles will promote the
best Scotland has to offer.
"G8 offers us a unique opportunity to show everyone why
Scotland is a great place to visit, live, work and do
business with. The eyes of the world will be on us over the
next week and Scotland must take advantage.
"From vibrant cities a stone's throw away from some of
the most spectacular scenery in the world, to universities
and businesses renowned for their innovation and expertise,
and some of the warmest and friendliest people you are ever
likely to meet, Scotland is a fantastic country.
"The Scottish Village will show visitors, and more than
2,500 international journalists based at G8 Scotland, just
how great our country is.
"Scotland is the best small country in the world. We
will make sure the world knows it."
The Scotland Village is part of an innovative £1 million
programme by Visit Scotland, Scotland's national tourist
board and in partnership with the Scottish Executive,
Scottish Enterprise and the private sector, its content has
been designed specially for the G8 Summit
All journalists based at Gleneagles will have to pass
through the Scottish Village to use the facilities of the
G8 media centre.
The Scottish Village will be full of interesting
displays and information, as well as lively daily
activities and demonstrations. It is divided into four
zones:
The VisitScotland zone is designed to promote Scotland's
key tourism assets. It will show journalists our dramatic
landscapes, enduring history and heritage, vibrant cities,
the Home of Golf, ultra-modern conference centres and warm,
welcoming people, communicating the diversity, quality and
authenticity of the Scottish tourism product.
The Scotland zone will give journalists a hint of what
it is like to live, work and study in Scotland by telling
the story of our pioneering spirit, both the great
achievements of the past and their relevance to that
continued spirit now and into the future. Scotland has left
a mark on the world that far exceeds its size - the
displays in this zone are designed to illustrate some facts
visitors may not have been aware of about this country.
The Scottish Development International zone will
showcase four of Scotland's many flourishing industries -
Life Sciences, Energy, Financial Services and Computer
Games. Visitors will have the opportunity to see and
experience first hand what Scotland has to offer through
our video presentation, interactive games section or simply
by talking to one of our experienced team who will be
available to answer all their questions.
Diageo has created a unique and exciting zone where
journalists can explore the richness and diversity of
Scotch whisky and also find out how Diageo supports the
communities in which it operates around the world, with
particular focus on Scotland and Africa. Visitors to the
zone can enrol in the Diageo Whisky Academy, where they can
enjoy a unique opportunity to meet Diageo Master Distillers
and Master Blenders and learn how to 'teach your taste buds
to talk'.
There are other elements to the Village which focus on
history, pioneers and explorers, medicine, literature and
arts, science and innovation, fresh talent, politics, sport
and entertainment. For example, in the football section,
visitors can try their hand at table football where
Scotland will play against an international team made up of
the G8 countries and the EU. This section will also
feature artefacts on loan from the SFA museum at Hampden.
Two wall panels also show internationally known Scottish
sporting legends like Eric Liddle, Jackie Stewart and Alan
Wells.