GLASGOW, Scotland, Sept. 30 Tourism officials in Scotland are bemoaning a drop-off in Loch Ness monster sightings, fearing it will be bad for business.
While Scottish officials have long relied on tales of the elusive beast to bolster the nation's tourism industry, sightings of the monster have been dwindling during the last decade, The (Glasgow) Herald reported Sunday.
"It's becoming a potential crisis," Loch Ness Monster Fan Club co-founder Mikko Takala said.
So far in 2007, there have been only two reported sightings of the fabled water creature, a sizable difference from the number of sightings only 10 years ago. A decade ago, reports of the Loch Ness monster were regularly in double digits each year and tourists flocked to Scotland to catch a rare glimpse of the mysterious beast.
Naturalist Adrian Shine told the Herald the downward trend represents a newfound skepticism regarding Loch Ness monster.
"I think we live in a more pragmatic age, and that people are becoming more aware of the sort of illusions that can occur on water," he said.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
