A small Aberdeenshire village with links to Dracula is seeing a boost in visitors thanks to Swedish tour groups.
Celebrations took place in Cruden Bay in May 2022 to mark the 125th anniversary of the publication of the famous gothic novel, on May 26, 1897. Dacre Stoker, great-grand nephew of Bram Stoker, gave a talk at the local village hall on Bram Stoker, Dracula and Cruden Bay, alongside local author Mike Shepherd.
Dacre is a regular visitor to the village, which has strong connections to the famous horror book. Sections of it were penned by his great-grand uncle whilst staying at the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel.
As part of the anniversary, Dacre created a bespoke tour to showcase local locations connected with the book and Bram Stoker, in conjunction with the tour company, Experience Transylvania, a joint Swedish/Romanian venture.
Since that initial tour, around 40 Swedish Dracula enthusiasts have been motivated to visit the area though the Experience Transylvania tours, to see what inspired Bram Stoker.
This autumn Experience Transylvania brought 25 tourists from Sweden to Cruden Bay, with plans for a further trip in September 2024 with visitors from across the world.