DUNCAN HIRED BY TOURIST BOSSES
TV STAR WILL LAUNCH FAMILY TREE WEBSITE
Monarch’s star set to bring back the visitors
SUNDAY MAIL (GLASGOW, SCOTLAND)
23 DECEMBER 2001

He’s daft, dopey and a loser in love… but tourism chiefs hope he can lure thousands of visitors to Scotland.

Monarch of the Glen star Hamish Clark, who plays angst-ridden Duncan, is to plug a new website to encourage tourists to search for their Scottish ancestors.

He kicks off the VisitScotland genealogy site next month by creating his own family tree.

Hamish - recently named one of Scotland’s most eligible bachelors - will find out if he is related to Formula One legend Jim Clark, ex-Scotland goalkeeper Bobby Clark or even singer Petula Clark.

VisitScotland said last night: “We are really pleased Hamish is backing our initiative. He is becoming more and more successful and we’re lucky to have him.”

More than 50 million viewers all over the world see Scotland’s spectacular scenery in Monarch of the Glen. Now VisitScotland hope Hamish can encourage them to come here in the wake of the foot and mouth crisis and the September 11 terrorist attacks.

VisitScotland - formerly the Scottish Tourist Board - believe the country lost at least pounds 50million this year due to the slump in US tourists.

A spokesman said: “The site will be launched at the end of January and will persuade people to come to Scotland to search their roots.

“The campaign is to encourage people from England, Ireland, USA and European countries to research their family trees, thus enticing them to come to Scotland.” Hamish is not the first Monarch star to boost Scotland’s profile. Dawn Steele, who plays Lexie, launched another Visit- Scotland website earlier this year.

Cantankerous Hector MacDonald, played by Richard Briers, also helped by taking part in the spoof of life on a Highland country estate.

VisitScotland bosses are confident their links with the hit BBC series, which attracts more than eight million viewers in Britain, will bring in the visitors.

They said: “The series is very popular in Australia and the States. We recently held a party for the cast to thank them for the work they’ve done in promoting Scotland and we hope they continue to do so.”

Monarch of the Glen is filmed in Badenoch and Strathspey and has been sold to 12 countries. A recent survey showed nine per cent of tourists visit the Highlands after seeing it on films and TV programmes.