THE Galloway Forest Park looks set to get a £4.5 million boost. Bosses at Forestry Commission Scotland hope to invest the cash in recreation. The plan is part of a wider tourism strategy to modernise the visitor experience and double visitor spending in the Galloway economy by 2015. A number of key visitor sites will be upgraded and, as a result, it is hoped the tourism draw will bring added benefits to the economy. The funding will create a new visitor complex at Kirroughtree, near Newton Stewart, complete a major refit at Clatteringshaws and fund an upgrade at Glentrool’s centre. It follows a recent £300,000 investment in the park’s walking trails and being awarded Dark Sky Park status in 2009. The new facilities are due to be completed early in 2014. Forestry Commission district manager Rob Soutar said: “Galloway Forest Park is the commission’s biggest forest park in Scotland. Its forests and moorlands are an amazing asset and a key component in supporting the tourism sector. “Our visitor centres were developed many years ago when visitor numbers were lower. Since then, we’ve worked hard to make our forests a key draw for visitors and the new facilities will be the icing on the cake.” Minister for Climate Change and the Environment Stewart Stevenson added: “The investment is a major commitment towards developing and supporting forest-based tourism in and around the Galloway Forest Park. The area has a fantastic reputation for its rugged outdoor landscapes and is a firm favourite for walkers, wildlife enthusiasts and mountain bikers. “The commission’s plan is to improve the visitor experience for everyone coming to Galloway Forest Park.” The Galloway Dark Sky Park regularly hosts events for stargazing due to the lack of light pollution in the area and it is the only Dark Sky Park outside the United States. In July last year, Forestry Commission Scotland announced that upward of 30 businesses had profited from the status. | 
