14 DAY TRIAL // Officials in Scotland have resigned after a feud over the proper promotion of the Loch Ness Monster, a major source of income for the local tourist industry.
According to the Scotsman, a letter sent to the Drumnadrochit Chamber of Commerce has prompted said resignations and a debate on whether or not to tell tourists that the monster is simply fiction.
One of the items included in the letter, which made its way to 70 Chamber members, referred to reports from researcher Adrian Shine, who has tried to explain the Loch Ness phenomenon by describing it as either a fish or as a wave.
“Just about every time that [Adrian Shine] appears in the media he talks about big fish and big waves.”
“I believe they are doing more harm than good in promoting Loch Ness tourism with their negative theories. How many people come here to see the Loch Ness Big Fish or the Loch Ness Big Wave?” says Loch Ness Cruises owner George Edwards in the letter.
Edwards alleges that offering scientific explanations for the existence of the “monster” is turning tourists away.
“Mr Shine and his cronies have been making a nice living out of Loch Ness for the past 20-odd years and if they cannot see the logic in promoting Nessie then maybe it’s time they moved on, as they seem intent on destroying our industry,” he adds.
Shine responded by noting that tourists are also alerted about credible sightings throughout his research.
“The irony is that the serious investigations and presentations such as that at The Loch Ness Centre, afford a great deal more respect to over a thousand honest and sober eyewitnesses by explaining what they have truthfully reported in terms of some rather special features of Loch Ness,” he argues.
After resigning as chairman of the Chamber over the scandal, Tony Harmsworth has explained that tourists are attracted by the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, which they are keen on knowing more about.