Meeting
Cairngorms Tourism Partnership
17th August, 2020
Cairngorms Tourism Emergency Response Group - Via Video-Conference
Cairngorms Tourism Emergency Response Group
17th August 2020, 11am.
1.Welcome and introductions
Apologies: Janet, Geva, Mark, Laurie, Chris F
Present: Murray, Heather, Pete, Colin S, Chris T, Grant, Rhona, Alistair
2.Respond
Brief updates on new key issues not appearing elsewhere on agenda
DMOs: The online Test and Protect scheme developed for the CBP by a member business is now rolling out across Chambers of Commerce nation-wide.
VisitScotland: Marketing remains focused on a domestic Scottish audience at the moment, with digital activity progressing on Trip Adviser etc. I-centres are now open at Aviemore and Ballater, getting around 100 visitors a day. They are focused on visitor info rather than retail and bookings for the time being. The communications team are looking for examples of businesses who have been successfully re-opening as potential case studies, suggestions welcome.
Business Support agencies:
HIE will over the next few weeks, develop details of support for DMOs, which will be critical to recovery. The funicular repair business case has now been submitted to minsters.
Highland Council are processing the last few grants remaining out of 8000 processed, with a total of £78m granted across the region. They are also dealing with issues around dirty camping, motorhomes etc. The new Highland Council Tourism Committee, chaired by Maxine Smith, met for first time to look at these issues, and the waste and roads departments will pull together a report for the group. This is now a formal committee rather than a working group, though it doesn’t have a specific council service behind it, rather it will be cross-cutting various services, with no specific budget. CNPA to give a presentation on visitor management work to either this committee, or the visitor management group, which will continue to run post-Covid.
Aberdeenshire Council also have a few remaining grants to be processed. The impacts of Aberdeen’s lockdown are being felt in Aberdeenshire and there is discussion with the Scottish Government about financial support for businesses affected by local lockdowns. A virtual Highland Games will be filmed in Braemar, with no audience allowed in the games arena. This will be promoted by VisitScotland and VisitAberdeenshire.
3.Reset
Overview of consumer insights and other research:
The CBP occupancy survey second wave results are now available here. Self-catering continues to see better bookings than serviced accommodation, but hotels are in a stronger position than in the last wave. VisitScotland are also finding that cafes are doing well, particularly from the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, and tourist retail also seems strong.
CNPA ranger visitor survey will finish today and a short report will be available for the next meeting.
The last report from the 2019/20 Cairngorms Visitor Survey compares our results with the data from Loch Lomond & the Trossachs (attached).
4.Restart
Visitor Management Issues:
In the western area of the Park, Glenmore is still the main hotspot but bollards and markers seem to be working well, backed by rangers and FLS staff. The electronic sign at Rothiemurchus is focusing on key messages of no fires or litter. The vast majority of visitor are behaving responsibility. Other areas seeing parking issues include Loch Insh and Achlean, so bollards are also now in place there.
In Deeside, Loch Muick was full by 9am on Saturday and the road closed until 3pm, with 85 cars turned away. Muir of Dinnet was also overfull on Sunday and Dinnet Estates are looking into to developing a visitor centre and car park to take pressure from the SNH car park. Linn of Dee overflow car park had 75 cars, with others turned away, but needed 2 staff manning the area all day.
There was a discussion about longer-term planning for future issues. CNPA will arrange an end of season review meeting with an aim to draw up visitor management plans over autumn / winter. Regardless of whether the new audiences we are seeing continue to return, investment in visitor facilities are overdue in some areas. There will also be a need for an information campaign to some of the new audiences over the winter.
Communications Framework phase 3/4 messages:
A new initiative, prompted by Mark, is bringing VisitScotland together with Communications Managers from key agencies and Scottish Tourism Alliance with the aim of reaching new audiences in an innovative way eg. through BBC The Social. The next meeting is on Friday, and Francoise will be contact from CNPA.
Community Meetings:
On 27th August there will be three online meetings with community council reps and members of the public to give an update on visitor management work and re-opening issues.
5.Recover
CNPA Green Recovery Fund Launch:
After discussion with CNPA board on Friday, the fund will be launched on Wednesday and will remain open for a month. Decisions will be made on funding by end September, for project delivery October to March. The fund consists of £100k from CNPA & £30k from Cairngorms Trust. Individual business can apply but groups of businesses working in partnership are preferred.
6.Other
The Heritage Horizons Advisory Board met last week. The project, which has themes of People, Power and Place, is one of 12 through to this stage of the bid, with probably 5 or 6 likely to be funded. The bid will be submitted in February. If successful there would then be a 2 year development phase and 5 year delivery phase with a total investment of £50 million.
The CNPA response to the current Cairngorm Mountain consultation will be submitted shortly, with a focus on better transport infrastructure.
RTIF project at Glenmore not yet delivered, a meeting to discuss progress will be held with VisitScotland. Discussions are taking place around the 3rd round of RTIF, focusing on campervan and parking issues. The deadline for Expression of Interest is next month.
7.Date of Next Meeting
Monday 31st August at 11am
Relevant papers will be available here shortly before the meeting.