New initiative aims to grab bigger slice of Scotland’s £178m adventure tourism market

A new initiative – Perthshire Adventure - which shines a spotlight on adventure tourism experiences in Perthshire has launched in a bid to attract more outdoor adventure enthusiasts to the region.

Backed by Scotland’s rural enterprise support agency GrowBiz, the initiative brings together seven local activity providers, who are collaborating to highlight the wide range of different outdoor adventure activities to be enjoyed across the region. Perthshire Adventure includes Progression Bikes, Outdoor Explore, Beyond Adventure,  PaddleSurf Scotland, Still Going Strong, The Canyoning Company and Wee Adventures.

Adventure tourism is a growing market for Scotland, accounting for more than 350,000 trips each year and ploughing £178m into the Scottish economy.  It is identified as an area for growth with the Tay Cities Regional Strategy and the sector is widely recognised as an important part of Perthshire’s tourism offering.

As well as showcasing outdoor activities, the group is also working with local food and drink and culture and heritage businesses to provide visitors with a unique adventure-filled experience.

Perthshire Adventure originally formed two years ago under the Scottish Enterprise Planning to Succeed Rural Development programme, in partnership with GrowBiz.  The group have continued to collaborate virtually during the COVID-19 restrictions to launch the new resource which is designed to help the local Adventure Tourism sector recover from the devastating impact of the pandemic.

Sarah Turner, Chairman of Perthshire Adventure said: “We are delighted that after months of hard work, we are officially launching Perthshire Adventure. Tourism has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Perthshire Adventure is part of GrowBiz’s Smart Village initiative and has enabled us to come together, think creatively and help support adventure tourism in Perthshire and Scotland. Our new website will allow visitors to really make the most of their time with us.”

Jackie Brierton, CEO of GrowBiz Scotland said: “This is a welcome initiative, and a positive development at a time of huge uncertainty for rural businesses. Perthshire Adventure is a great example of a sectoral Smart Village. It will offer valuable opportunities for collaboration with enterprises from other sectors, and GrowBiz looks forward to providing continuing support to the group.”

Caroline Warburton, VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director, added: “2020 has been one of the most challenging years in Scottish tourism’s recent history but the resilience of the sector never ceases to amaze me. It has been fantastic to see the group come together, sharing their knowledge, skills and passion to create something that will undoubtedly help more visitors discover Perthshire’s diverse adventure tourism offering. With more and more visitors looking for immersive experiences or ways to improve self-development, Perthshire Adventure is well placed to embrace this movement in a safe and responsible way. “

For more information visit www.perthshire-adventure.scot or follow #PerthshireAdventure