Britannia even easier to fathom

HINDI and Arabic language versions have been added to the audio guides at the Royal Yacht Britannia to cope with a surge in visitors from India and the Middle East.

Bosses at the tourist attraction, one of the world's most famous ships, expect to welcome an influx of Arabic-speaking visitors as travellers take advantage of recently-introduced direct flights between several Gulf states and Scotland.

The latest translations take the total number of audio guide languages to 15, joining Russian, Urdu, Mandarin and Japanese.

The five star attraction - which is set to welcome its two-millionth visitor this summer, opened in 1998. As well as explaining the ship's layout to visitors, the audio guides include anecdotes from former crew members, to give tourists a taste of life on board.

Welcoming the new Hindi and Arabic translations, Labour councillor Shami Khan, who is a member of the city's Pakistan Society, said: "There are so many visitors now coming to Edinburgh from places such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan and this is an attraction they will want to see.

"Britannia was known around the world, especially in the old colony countries, and so it is an attraction for the minorities as well. It already attracts the new generation who live in Scotland and speak English, but this will open it up to the older generation who would certainly welcome being able to learn about the history of the yacht in their own language."

The ship served the Royal Family for 44 years, visiting every corner of the globe, before being decommissioned in December 1997. Since being given a permanent home at Leith, the royal yacht has received a string of accolades and was among the finalists of the Scottish Tourism Business of the Year in 2004.

Julia Stephenson, Britannia's head of visitor experience, said: "During her 44 years in royal service, Britannia sailed to every corner of the world. Now people who saw her from the shore can step on board themselves.

"Our visitors come from far and wide to see this great ship and we are delighted to be able to offer more people an audio tour in their own language. It allows them to fully immerse themselves in her fascinating story."

A spokesman for VisitScotland said: "The addition of the two new languages on board the Royal Yacht Britannia illustrates a positive and encouraging effort to reach out to a wider audience.

"This also embodies the wider efforts of Edinburgh, and indeed the national drive, to promote and position visitor attractions as world-class in quality."

The facts

LAUNCHED at John Brown's Shipyard in Clydebank in 1953, the Royal Yacht Britannia proudly served Queen and country for 44 years.

As the 83rd ship in a long line of royal yachts that stretches back to 1660 and the reign of Charles II, Britannia carried the Queen and the Royal Family on 968 official voyages, travelling over a million miles across the globe. But in June 1994 the Government announced that she would be taken out of service.

At the beginning of January 1997, Britannia set sail from Portsmouth to Hong Kong on her last and longest voyage, for the handover of the former British colony to China.

In 1998, the Government announced that Edinburgh had been successful in its bid to bring Britannia to the historic port of Leith.