Tourism

A new podcast dedicated to rural Scotland and it's various industries has launched today, Monday 13 January.

The OnFARM – Food, Agriculture and Rural Matters podcast has been launched by Scene & Herd PR and Marketing and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and a new dedicated website.

Scene & Herd PR and Marketing are working with industry experts, successful business owners and key organisations to increase public and inter-industry awareness of Scottish rural enterprise and its stories.

Strathnaver Museum has been announced as a recipient of £650,000 in grant funding from the Natural and Cultural Heritage Fund. The Redevelopment of Strathnaver Museum as a heritage hub for north west Sutherland project will improve the visitor experience, secure the existing museum collections, conserve the historic church building and improve access to its heritage resources.

Next month, local tourism businesses around Loch Awe, and those interested in starting a business, can share ideas on new ways to promote the area at meetings run by the Argyll Isles Tourism Cooperative.

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) are supporting the Argyll Isles Tourism Cooperative (AITC) to review sustainable, nature-based tourism businesses around Loch Awe, encouraging exciting new enterprises, and marketing that encourages more people to explore the outstanding natural beauty of Loch Awe.

The third round of the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) is now open for applications.

Tourists sites in rural Scotland are being encouraged to apply for a share of £3 million funding. RTIF aims to help tourist attractions and their communities deal with the impact of increased visitor numbers on local infrastructure by helping with improvements like parking areas, visitor facilities and recycling points.

A further 30 events have been announced as part of the Year of Coasts and Waters 2020.

The Themed Year will see a wide variety of events take place right across the country -- from coastal-inspired opera to a seaweed festival!

Events supported through round two of the Year of Coasts and Waters event fund include:

Places are still available on some upcoming public information sessions being held by the Scottish Government's Transient Visitor Levy Bill.

The Scottish Government is consulting on the principles of a locally determined visitor levy (tourist tax). They're holding events in different parts of the country to provide an opportunity for everyone who has an interest to discuss and inform us on what a Scottish Visitor Levy might look like. ​

The line-up of speakers for the first-ever Scottish Highlands and Islands Rural Economy Conference -- the SHIREs Conference -- has been announced.

The first ever National Islands Plan for Scotland has been laid before the Scottish Parliament for consideration.

The proposed National Islands Plan provides a framework for action in order to meaningfully improve outcomes for Scotland's island communities.

Last month Angus LEADER hosted a group of individuals from Belgium and Romania as part of a tourism project across the three countries. The Transnational Cooperation Project, funded through the Angus LEADER programme aims to build the capacity of each area to develop a flourishing visitor economy that benefits the whole community.