VisitScotland has been granted the additional funding from the Scottish Government to launch an ambitious two-year campaign to promote the region as a tourism destination for coastal and forest activities in particular.
It will be spent on a UK and international marketing campaign that promotes the experiences on offer locally and nine tourism businesses from the south will travel to Amsterdam later this month on a European Business Development Mission.
As tourism leaders gathered in Dumfries on Tuesday for the annual industry conference, VisitScotland regional leadership director Paula Ward, pictured, declared it an exciting time for tourism in Dumfries and Galloway. She said: “This additional funding will be used by VisitScotland to develop and deliver an ambitious, targeted and co-ordinated marketing programme that promotes the wealth of fantastic experiences on offer across the South of Scotland. The See South Scotland campaign will bring to life the abundance of activities, rich experiences and stunning scenery on offer right across this region. We have the opportunity to shine the spotlight onto this region and bring visitors from across the world to experience it for themselves.”
The campaign will launch this autumn. It has been welcomed by Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop, who said: “This fantastic new campaign will help to promote the wide range of exciting attractions the area has to offer to both domestic and international markets.”
Tuesday’s conference was attended by over 100 of the region’s tourism businesses and had a theme of growth. Council leader Dr Elaine Murray delivered the keynote address and said: “The tourism sector supports thousands of jobs locally, both through direct and indirect employment, sustains communities and generates hundreds of millions of pounds in revenue for our region.”
