South of Scotland Responsible Tourism Strategy Webinar

On 20 March 2024, following extensive consultation, the South of Scotland Destination Alliance, VisitScotland, South of Scotland Enterprise, Dumfries & Galloway Council, Scottish Borders Council and all relevant public bodies together launched a ten-year South of Scotland Responsible Tourism Strategy (2024-34), which will:
•    Increase our visitor economy by £1 billion, to £1.76bn
•    Support a further 6,000+ jobs, to 20,000 FTE posts 

The Responsible Tourism Strategy is an integral part of the overarching Regional Economic Strategy and has been formally welcomed and endorsed by the Scottish Government and all public agencies at the Convention of the South of Scotland.

It sets out how, together, we will transform our visitor economy by:

•    extending the season and developing the South of Scotland as a year-round ‘rural escape’ destination for the 14m people within 2-4 hours travel time
•    becoming a ‘go to’ rather than a ‘go through’ destination
•    increasing international visitor numbers, who spend significantly more and stay longer than domestic visitors.

 22 key areas of work are identified in the strategy, across four strands:
1.    Inspire visitors to come to the South of Scotland
2.    Develop the visitor experience, with a focus on quality
3.    Support business to succeed
4.    Act responsibly for long-term collective benefit
 

Join David Hope-Jones, CEO of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance who will present and take questions on the newly launched South of Scotland Responsible Tourism Strategy. He will share more details about the consultation process and its results, as well as what is in the strategy and how it will be delivered in measurable, accountable and transparent ways.

David says: 'By working together, with unprecedented ambition, we will make the South of Scotland the most sustainable, talked about, successful, energetic, and coveted destination in Scotland.  Because #ScotlandStartsHere.'