The Real Mary King’s Close – award winners!

The Real Mary King’s Close celebrated a momentous win, taking home the title of Best Heritage Tourism Experience in Scotland at the VisitScotland 2019 Thistle Awards last night.

The five-star historic visitor attraction was honoured with two accolades at the prestigious Scottish Thistle Awards finals, winning in the Best Heritage Tourism Experience category and gaining a Special Commendation for Best Visitor Attraction.

The Scottish Thistle Awards is Scotland’s premier awards for the tourism industry, celebrating success, innovation, excellence and best practice in Scotland’s tourism and hospitality industry. The Best Heritage Tourism Experience award, sponsored by Historic Environment Scotland, was part of a number of accolades presented at the ceremony hosted at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre in Edinburgh on Thursday 14th March 2019.

Juliana Delaney, CEO of Continuum Attractions, which operates The Real Mary King’s Close, said:”The whole team is thrilled to receive this incredible honour. To be recognised as Scotland’s Best Heritage Tourism Experience is a true testament to the commitment our whole team has for our attraction. Every aspect of our guest experience is developed with love, a sense of pride, and an enthusiasm for both our rich history, and delivering outstanding customer service. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our many guests, our peers within the industry, and VisitScotland for its continued support over the years.”

Eilidh Macleod, Marketing Manager at The Real Mary King’s Close, said:”It has been an incredible year for The Real Mary King’s Close, and I couldn’t be more proud of our team and the exceptional experiences they deliver each and every day. We love bringing Edinburgh’s hidden history to life, and welcoming guests from all over the world to experience our unique city-centre attraction. The Scottish Thistle Awards represent the highest standards in our industry, so being recognised as Scotland’s Best Heritage Tourism Experience really is a fabulous accolade.”

The award and commendation come at the end of a record-breaking year for The Real Mary King’s Close, which has grown from 60,000 annual visitors 16 years ago, to a record 256,000 visitors this year. To find out more visit www.realmarykingsclose.com .