Workshop Success

Last week more than 100 representatives from local businesses and organisations took part in a series of workshops which will help shape the future of tourism in Dumfries and Galloway. Attendees took part in a series of discussions facilitated by Professor Terry Stevens and Yvonne Crook of the Stevens View Partnership to identify the area’s key strengths and weaknesses, to explore opportunities for the sector to work together and to discuss the challenges and constraints the area faces.

Attendees took part in a series of discussions facilitated by Professor Terry Stevens and Yvonne Crook of the Stevens View Partnership to identify the area’s key strengths and weaknesses, to explore opportunities for the sector to work together and to discuss the challenges and constraints the area faces.

Yvonne Crook presented a case study of Aviemore and the Cairngorms where she set up the first Destination Management Organisation (DMO), a private sector led, public sector supported organisation which drives tourism in the area.

Terry Stevens used the example of tourism organisation in South West Wales and especially Pembrokeshire as a recent example of a structured approach to destination development. Pembrokeshire Tourism Limited is a private sector organisation with a professional executive and an appointed Board that leads and coordinates tourism activity in the area.  A case study has also been produced describing the way tourism is now organised in Dorset in the West Country of England. These two case studies will be supplemented by others from elsewhere in Europe.

A summary of the workshops and the case studies can be found by clicking here. 

The findings of these workshops together with the results of the questionnaires and the discussions with the private and public sector will help form a report for the Area Tourism Partnership. The final report will then be presented in a public conference on Tuesday 24th February. Further details of the conference will be released by the end of January.