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Additional documents:
Minutes:
David Adams-McGilp, VisitScotland Regional Director, Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æ and the Isles, and Cathy Craig, CEO Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æ and the Isles Tourism Co-operative, gave a to the CPP MC on the VisitScotland
Action Plan and the current state of tourism in Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æ and Bute. David and
Cathy sit on the Strategic Tourism Partnership for the area, with two other
representatives from Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æ and Bute Council and Highland and Islands
Enterprise.
David explained the outcomes of the national plan
are across four strategic outcomes:
-
SPREAD
includes easing visitor number pressure in certain areas and
encouraging/promoting visitors to areas with more capacity and looking at
extending the tradition visitor season. There is work ongoing on how to measure
how successful this strategy will be and David noted that Scottish tourism is
still in a post Covid recovery and growth phase.
-
SPEND
covers public and private investment in our tourism facilities, destinations
and experiences to improve visitor experience in Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æ and Bute.
-
SUSTAINABILITY
is a key part of the action plan and the current Scottish Government Tourism
strategy and the National Strategy For Economic Transformation (NSET) both
share a commitment to destination net zero.
-
SATISFACTION
looks at ensuring positive local attitudes to area tourism using community
engagement, visitor management, the rural tourism infrastructure fund and
industry / tourist satisfaction. It is important that communities do not have
development imposed upon them but that they are part of the planning to make
the most of local assets.
Cathy gave an overview of the current tourism
industry in Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æ and Bute. The value of the local tourism market has not
recovered post pandemic with visitor numbers down and continued negative effect
to local businesses. The 2023 visitor survey is currently underway and although
tourism is making good process, this year’s market is looking to be more
depressed than last year, with over half of business surveyed in the area
saying they are struggling financially.
Local tourism opportunities include maritime and
coastal tourism, activity and wellbeing outdoors, community focused
experiences, online discoverability and bookability
and green business development. In 2023 a new area tourism was launched and there have been various marketing
campaigns to attract visitors to the area, especially to boost low visitor
numbers in Mid Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æ and Kintyre. Cathy also advise that visitor numbers to
the area from North America is strong, they spend 2 - 3 times more per head in
the area than UK travellers, but the day trip market is still down. Recruitment
of staff within businesses in Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æ and Bute remains a critical challenge.
On positive note, interest in our area is high and
funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise has enabled the recruitment of a
travel trade expert who has represented Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æ and Bute at national exhibitions
and secured sign up by 21 new travel operators to add Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æ and Bute
destinations to their itineraries.
David and Cathy said they would be happy to be
contacted by any partners that would like more information on this matter. Joe
thanked them for their presentation and agreed it is a very challenging time
for local businesses.
Takki
agreed tourism is a critical industry for Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æ and Bute and was keen to
ensure that strategic planning around tourism included discussion with partners
around infrastructure, roads and emergency services etc. for the mainland and
island destinations. David ensured him that was already the case and that local
authorities, and aspirations of communities, play a key role in strategic
tourism planning. Morag added that she was already working with David and Cathy
to align tourism into developing economic strategy and that engagement with
Fergus Murray and Ishabel Bremner
would be helpful to include a joined up approach to this in the ABOIP.
ACTION - CPP team to discuss inclusion of tourism
strategy in the ABOIP.
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