Susan Paterson, CalMac's Marketing Manager said: "We are delighted to be able to offer the calendar at this earlier stage than ever before as we believe it is a "must-have" gift for tourists who may be joining us for the early states of this season. There is no better way to commemorate a visit to our area than to purchase on of the calendars and to begin the planning for return visits next year."

The calendars, priced £4.95, are available from CalMac through the website calmac.co.uk or from ships and terminals.

The calendar was launched in Stornoway by CalMac Managing Director Lawrie Sinclair, who will tell delegates that CalMac is looking forward to a busy summer in 2006. He will say: "I was delighted to see recently that interest in the Outer Hebrides through advance accommodation bookings was holding up and indeed increasing. This mirrors the trend seen in our own website activity which is up this year by 30% on last year. In January, the website had 672,278 impressions (up 40% on 2005) and in February we had 606,576 (up 20% on 2005). This does not, of course, translate immediately into business and revenue, but it is a clear indicator to us that our marketing is being effective. In terms of actual bookings made, our January figure is 300 up on last year and February it was 700 up, and that is five times the rate we took bookings in the same month in 2001. And this is a clear trend with our numbers of internet bookings up an average of 30% in each of the last three years. It is that marketing effort also which has led to our passengers figures in what we refer to internally as our Western Isles group of services showing a 19% increase in passengers over the last five years; 33% increase in cars and 11 % increase in coaches."

ends

For further information on the contents of this News Release, please contact Hugh Dan MacLennan, Head of Communication and Customer Care, Caledonian MacBrayne. Tel: 0776 435 4021; e-mail hugh.maclennan@calmac.co.uk.

Issued: Friday, March 31, 2006 : 1100