Published: Friday, 3rd July, 2009 11:20am

Peebles leaves its 'Marx' on Russian travel presenter

THE Beltane Festival is set to receive a TV audience of more than 20 million - in Russia!

Peebles will feature in a major Russian travel programme titled Neputivue Zametki (Travel Notes), which attracts record viewers every week in its homeland.

The presenter, top Russian celebrity Dmitry Krylov - the 'Michael Palin" of Russia - visited the Borders last week in a bid to showcase some of the best of what the region has to offer Russian visitors.

The TV crew stayed at Cringletie House Hotel to film the Beltane Festival in Peebles and local attractions including Traquair House by Innerleithen and Abbotsford House near Melrose.

Mr Krylov said: 'The Borders is a wonderful region and it has been a real pleasure to see exactly what it has to offer. From the Common Ridings and the history of the Borders to the variety of culture and heritage and the fantastic scenery, Scotland really does have it all.'

'Our trip started in Peebles where we filmed the Beltane festival. We were really impressed by the beauty of the town and the festival was a good example to illustrate how Scottish people take care of their towns and continue historical traditions. It was very interesting to film the festival which united hundreds of local people.

'We think that Scotland is unique place to visit - here you can find everything starting from festivals and events, attractions to staying in luxury hotels surrounded by a beautiful wild nature.

"We were lucky to stay at the Cringletie House Hotel and we enjoyed a perfect 5-star service, excellent food at the hotel"s restaurant and also tranquillity.

'During our trip we filmed a lot of unique historical attractions and the most unforgettable one was Traquair House, Scotland"s oldest inhabited house.'

The Russian travel programme will be broadcast at the end of October/beginning of November this year.

Sandi Hellowell, VisitScotland"s regional director, said: 'VisitScotland recognises and values the importance of emerging markets such as Russia, China and India and has a dedicated team targeting potential visitors from these countries for the benefit of tourism growth.

'Our research shows that visitors from Russia favour luxury and high end products and that the breathtaking scenery, fascinating history and unique culture to be found in the Borders appeals to them.

'This is also the case for many segments of the Chinese and Indian markets and these countries offer great opportunities for local businesses who can provide the quality experience they are looking for.'

Russians are among Scotland"s highest spending visitors and as a key emerging market they are of increasing importance to the tourism industry. The wealth of products and services the Borders has to offer at the luxury end of the market creates the ideal platform to help attract Russian visitors and bolster tourism growth.