I don't think we need to stick to Burns here. There is a valid argument for having Prestwick airport renamed after him, but equally there are good arguments for having other airports and maybe even railway stations, ferry terminals, etc named after other important people! We already have Waverley Station in Edinburgh, which is named after the first of Scott's novels! So how about Stranraer harbour is named after Dumfries and Galloway's most famous sailor: The John Paul Jones Harbour does have a certain nautical ring to it!

I think that the name change would help the JPJ museum Bruce.

New Thread???

The name change would certainly help associate JPJ more with his place of birth rather than the place he is more associated with: America! If as a result it also helps a local museum then that's a bonus!

So what other nominations do we have? The Sean Connery Airport, Edinburgh? The William McGonagall Bridge across the Silvery Tay?

The MacMillan highway = The A76, where Kirkpatrick MacMillan rode the first ever real bike from Dumfriesshire to Glasgow via Cumnock in two days. Road works, eh

It does, but whether you view JPJ as a national hero and the founder of the world's greatest navy or a pirate depends very much on your national viewpoint: and from this side of the pond he was certainly viewed as the latter at the time. And he only to found his way to Virginia in the first place under an assumed name (adding the "Jones" to his real name of "John Paul") while on the run from charges of killing two of his sailors in separate incidents while captain of the brig John.

On the other hand, surely Alexander Bain, the inventor of the fax machine, must be worth having something better than a pub in Wick named after him?

What names would attract the most tourists and help with the local economy?
Stranraer Harbour: The JPJ Quay or Jones' Pier;
Glasgow Prestwick Airport: Burns International;
The A76: MacMillans Highway;
Ayrshire, Kirkcudrightshire & Dumfriesshire: Burns Corridor;
Galloway Forest: Dark Skies & Bright Future;
Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Reserve; Galloway'n'SABRe;