The new owner of Prestwick Airport should rename it Robert Burns.
That’s the view of University of Glasgow researchers after an intensive year-long study.
It maybe an old chestnut, but it may now gain traction as the new custodian of the Ayrshire airport is expected to be the Glasgow Airport owner. It is thought they would want to make a clear distinction between the neighbouring terminals.
University experts have made the name change suggestion while revealing the Rabbie brand is worth £200m a year to Scotland.
The biggest single source of economic impact is Burns-related tourism – it brings in in just under £155 million, almost two-thirds of which (£121 million) goes to Ayrshire. Within the UK, culture and heritage tourism in Scotland attracts more visitors than anywhere outside London. Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway is second only to Shakespeare among UK writers’ museums in its visitor numbers
The research proposes ways in which that Scotland could make even more of its national bard, in economic and cultural terms.
Professor Pittock of the Centre for Robert Burns Studies at the University’s College of Arts said: “Robert Burns, his life and work, still holds a huge fascination for a worldwide audience.”
The researchers suggest the new owners of Prestwick Airport rename it Robert Burns and better Burns signage on the M74 directing folk to Ayrshire.
