1. Introduction
The town of Dunfermline is located 3 miles from the shore of the Firth of Forth in the Kingdom of Fife. Dunfermline with population of 39,229 is a base for the electronics and engineering industries with major employers HBOS (Halifax Bank of Scotland), BSkyB and FMC Technologies (Scottisch towns, 2004).
Dunfermline – the ancient royal capital of Scotland belongs with its history to the most important cities of Scotland. The historical heritage of the town includes Abbey Church which is the burial place of Robert the Bruce and other eleven Scottish kings and queens.
Besides other, the town is a birthplace of philanthropist Andrew Carnegie who after immigrating to America supported Dunfermline greatly through the establishment of the Carnegie Trust that funded building of the institutions such Carnegie Libraries, Carnegie Hall and development of Pittencrieff Park (Visitscotland, 2006). The other town centre attractions include the Carnegie Theatre, the Carnegie Sports Centre, the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum, Abbot House Museum and St Margaret’s Cave.
However, in spite of its heritage, the town of Dunfermline as well as the entire area of Kingdom of Fife does not seem to be utilizing and benefiting from its tourism potential.
A need for enhancing the cultural and heritage tourism offering across Fife particularly in Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy have been recognized by the Fife council. The Scottish Executive’s “Tourism Framework for Change” provides a context for the development of the Fife Tourism Strategy. Strengthening of Dunfermline’s heritage is required in order to boost its tourism offering, retail and leisure markets and to reinforce linkages with local communities, particularly from a presentat ...