One of Scotland’s top central belt attractions has been recognised by a global travel agency.
The famous Kelpies and Helix Park has been awarded the Tripadvisor Traveler’s Choice Award for 2024 after racking up countless positive reviews on their website.
Tripadvisor is recognised as the world’s largest travel guidance platform and hands out the award to businesses that consistently earn great reviews and community feedback.
It means that the Falkirk Kelpies and Helix Park, which are celebrating ten years since opening to the public this year, are now among the top 10 per cent of listings around the world on Tripadvisor.
Culture and Greenspace Manager at Falkirk Council, Lesley O’Hare said the attraction wouldn’’t be recognised If it wasn’t for the hard work put in by people working behind the scenes to make it a welcoming place.
She said: “This award is a tribute to our hardworking team who consistently deliver excellent customer service and an overall brilliant visitor experience.
“With The Kelpies celebrating their tenth anniversary this year, it has been a particularly busy one for our team, and I’m glad that they have received this well-deserved recognition.
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“We are honoured to be included among traveller’s favourites this year, and a huge thank you to each and every person who has left a positive review on Tripadvisor.”
Tripadvisor base the award on genuine feedback from anyone in the community who visited and left an authentic, first-hand review on its website over a 12-month period. Bosses say it ensures people know it is then a trustworthy destination.
Chief Growth Officer at Tripadvisor, John Boris congratulated the Falkirk attraction and its workers on receiving the award.
He said: “Travelers’ Choice honours businesses that consistently demonstrate a commitment to hospitality excellence. This means you have made such a memorable impact on your visitors that many of them took the time to go online and leave a great review about their experience.
People rely on Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice seal to help them navigate the myriad of things to see, eat, and do across the globe.
“We hope this recognition continues to drive business to the area surrounding the Kelpies and The Helix Park in 2024 and beyond.”
The Helix, originally created as a space for the communities in the Falkirk area to come together, was also awarded five-star visitor attraction status by Visit Scotland and won the ‘Best Visitor Attraction Experience’ at the 2023 Visit Scotland National Thistle Awards.
It is estimated that The Kelpies at The Helix have welcomed over seven million visitors since 2014, helping to generate an additional £67 million in ‘visitor spend’ in the area.
Helix Park, which has a Green Tourism Gold award, is free for visitors, and offers significant amounts of green space and a wealth of things to do, including 27km of traffic free, wheelchair friendly, paths for walking, running, or cycling, an adventure zone playpark, splash play area, and sensory play area.
The Kelpies' tenth anniversary celebration took place in April this year.
Created by sculptor Andy Scott, the two 30m-high equine works were unveiled in 2014 and tower over the nearby Forth & Clyde Canal.
They were inspired by Scotland’s working horses which used to pull barges along canals and worked in fields in the area where the sculptures stand.
The Kelpies were commissioned by Scottish Canals which organised the Kelpies 10 event along with Falkirk Council.
Organisers said that more than 10,000 visitors gathered at the attraction on the day of the event in April.
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