Express coach operator, Scottish Citylink has teamed up with Santa’s Kingdom to offer their very own shuttle service to the £2 million Christmas extravaganza at the SECC, Glasgow.

People from as far afield as Inverness and Aberdeen can now travel direct to Glasgow city centre and then get on a free connecting bus service which will take them directly to the Christmas showcase.

Santa's Kingdom is a two and a half hour 'experience' which takes you on a magical flight to Santa's land. It is being hosted at the SECC in Glasgow, Wembley Exhibition Hall, and Birmingham NEC. Santa’s Kingdom is set to run for an unprecedented 25 nights at each venue.

Paul Murphy, Marketing Manager at Scottish Citylink comments:

“Santa’s Kingdom is a must attend event for all the family, which is why we decided to add to the experience by putting on this special bus service. Visitors can now travel on one of our buses from across the Citylink network and then get a free connecting bus from George Square in Glasgow direct to Santa’s Kingdom at the SECC.”

Organisers of Santa’s Kingdom hope that visitors from across Scotland will utilise the bus service and make a visit to Santa’s Kingdom a real family day out in Glasgow. Geoff Ellis, CEO of DF Concerts, who are promoting Santa's Kingdom comments:

“We have had a huge response to Santa’s Kingdom from across Scotland and now, thanks to Citylink, visitors can travel through to Glasgow, do some Christmas shopping, experience Santa’s Kingdom and travel home all in the same day.”

The bus service between George Square and the SECC will depart every half hour from outside the Tourist Information Centre from 8.30am and return from the SECC every half hour until 10.45pm. Journey time is just 15 minutes and a return ticket costs just £1. Citylink customers travelling into Glasgow from across the network will be able to use this service free of charge by simply showing a valid travel ticket to the driver. There is no need to book, simply pay the driver on the bus.

A visit to Santa’s Kingdom starts with a shuttle ‘flight’. Visitors are advised to wrap up warmly for their journey, which takes in a tour of Ice Mountain and visits to the Toy Factory and Santa’s Village. Elves act as guides throughout, introducing people to many other characters along the way, including the Ice Queen and polar bears. There are opportunities to see real reindeer – and of course meet Santa himself. Visitors can even play with real snow! Santa’s Kingdom has a massive snow play area where you can throw snowballs and take toboggan rides down giant slides. There are also refreshment areas and opportunities to buy Christmas gifts.

Booking your Citylink ticket:

Citylink information is available on the website www.citylink.co.uk.

Alternatively customers can call 08705 505050.

Booking your flights to Santa’s Kingdom:

With Santa’s Kingdom you really will need to book early to avoid disappointment and to get onto the flight of your choice. Tickets will not be sold on the door: all tickets have to be booked in advance.

Tickets for Santa’s Kingdom cost £17.50 (subject to booking fee) and are on sale via Way Ahead at Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.co.uk (tel: 0870 1690100) for Glasgow and www.wayahead.com (tel: 0870 8373000) for London/Birmingham. They are also available from each of the venue’s box offices, SECC 0870 404010, Wembley 0870 739 0739, NEC 0870 9094133 or at www.santaskingdom.com. Santa’s Kingdom is open from 9:30am and the last shuttle leaves at 7:30pm.

Flights to Santa’s Kingdom will depart from the following venues:

Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre (SECC), Glasgow
(29 November – 23 December 2002)

Wembley Exhibition Hall, London (22 November - 23 December 2002)

National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham (29 November – 23 December 2002)

For further information, please contact:
Kate Sanders/Jo Dain
Leedex Euro RSCG
Tel: 0131 220 6265