Malcolm Roughhead, CEO of VisitScotland, has just finished speaking at the ongoing Argyll and The Isles Tourism Summit at Portavadie Marina.
He has announced that VisitScotland has awarded £63,500 from its Growth Fund to the Argyll and the Isles Strategic Tourism Partnership (AISTP), which is hosting the Summit.
AISTP has match-funded this with £34,500 from the Leader Fund and significant seed-funding’ from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Argyll and Bute Council and investment from all twenty eight of the ocal marketing groups and destination groups that Argyll and the Isles Tourism represents.
Argyll & the Isles Tourism Ltd, a cooperative company which has been established to undertake commercial activity under the strategic guidance of AISTP, will use the total amount of £127,000 on fund a marketing project.
Mr Roughead, speaking to members of the region’s tourism industry, said:
‘Argyll and the Isles has a great deal to offer visitors and it is vital that tourism businesses work together to maximise this region’s potential. It gives me great pleasure to announce this £63,500 VisitScotland Growth Fund award to Argyll and the Isles Tourism Ltd, which will help the group to market this region to a worldwide audience.’
Since the second round of funding from VisitScotland’s Growth Fund funding was made available last March, Destination Organisations from across Argyll and the Isles have benefited to the tune of £170,000.
Mike Story, Vice Chairman of Argyll & the Isles Tourism Ltd, says: ‘For the past three years, Argyll and the Isles Strategic Tourism Partnership has been working diligently for our area’s tourism. The VisitScotland Growth Fund, along with our other match-funding, will now allow us to massively raise the profile of Argyll and the Isles and create a strong and vibrant tourism brand.’
The group’s marketing activity will include advertising, development of a portal website for travel trade and industry as well as familiarisation trips to the area.
& the Isles Tourism Ltd will also have a stand at this year’s VisitScotland expo, which takes place in Edinburgh on 25th-26th April. VisitScotland’s flagship travel trade show will give the group valuable face-to-face time with tour operators from all over the world.
The VisitScotland Growth Fund allows collaborating tourism businesses to apply for up to £65,000 of funding to help market their product to its maximum potential. It builds on the success of the European Union-supported VisitScotland Growth Fund which distributed £1 million to tourism marketing groups in Scotland between 2008 and 2011.
The VisitScotland Growth Fund is open to Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) and industry marketing groups. It can support groups with up to 50 per cent (from £5,000 to £65,000) of their marketing costs to develop and deliver new marketing activity, to help them reach new target markets, increase visitor numbers and create an environment for visitors to do more, spend more and stay longer.
More information on the VisitScotland Growth Fund is here on its website.