Firms look towards sustainable tourism in the Highlands and islands at major Inverness conference delivered by North Highland Initiative and Federation of Small Businesses
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A MAJOR conference aimed at ensuring tourism in the far north is sustainable and responsible will be held in the Highlands next week.
Called Responsible Tourism – What Does It Mean For Your Business?, the event on Wednesday, October 30 will provide an opportunity for business owners and public sector professionals to exchange experiences, views and ideas, and to discuss the opportunities created by the success of the North Coast 500 tourism route.
The North Highland Initiative, which developed the NC500, has partnered with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) to deliver the conference, which will bring together more than 160 delegates from across the north Highlands for a day of talks, presentations and networking opportunities.
The conference will open with a presentation by Professor John Lennon, director of the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business Development at Glasgow Caledonian University, who will discuss the findings of his North Coast 500 evaluation report.
Published earlier this month, this revealed that last year the NC500 route generated more than £22.89 million in Gross Value Added (GVA), created 180 full time equivalent jobs in the north Highlands, and boosted visitors numbers to paid attractions by 41.7 per cent.
Other speakers will include Cllr Carolyn Wilson, who will discuss the Cromarty Firth ward and how the area has adapted to the tourist market, and North Highland Initiative chairman David Whiteford, who will unveil the company’s new vision for responsible tourism. He said: “Economic growth and business development throughout the North Highland region are top priorities for the North Highland Initiative.
“The North Coast 500 route has been phenomenally successful in promoting the area as a whole, and has played an enormous role in boosting investment in the area, to the tune of more than £22 million in 2018 alone.
“Looking ahead to 2020, our focus must now centre not only on identifying further opportunities for businesses to benefit from this economic boost, but also on responsible tourism and ways in which we can support North Highland communities in order to ensure that tourism growth is sustainable.”
The conference runs from 9am to 4pm on October 30 at Achnagairn Estate, Kirkhill.
Free tickets can be reserved at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/responsible-tourism-and-what-it-means-for-you-tickets-72215066207
