Cairngorms

Meeting

Cairngorms Tourism Partnership

14th September, 2020

Cairngorms Tourism Emergency Response Group - Via Video-Conference

Cairngorms Tourism Emergency Response Group
14th September 2020, 11am. 

 

1.Welcome and introductions

Present: Janet, Geva, Murray, Laurie, Pete, Chris T, Grant, Alistair

Apologies: Heather, Mark, Rona, Chris, Colin S

2.Respond

 

MoraySpeyside

 

New Moray Speyside promotional video being ‘gently’ released  https://twitter.com/i/status/1305513302798274562

 

Business TBID invoices 25% payment at last assessment. Tourism Infrastructure Fund bids focussing on 8 campervan disposal points and Bow Fiddle Rock car parking.

 

MS, Visit Cairngorms & Loch Ness collectively in discussion with HIE over 3 yr funding bid to support market development extending the visitor season with a strategic approach to ‘new’ market development.

 

Visit Scotland

 

Covid-19 changes to ‘six gathering’ is currently, short term,  impacting on B&B’s, larger self-catering, and tours. Four & Five Star hotels booking well, three and lower less so – overall rates lower.

 

The need for DMO’s work clearly demonstrated this summer & VS in discussion with HIE on collective support.

 

VS developing winter promotion – VS keen to hear of areas/activities that are in need to promotion or are ‘too busy’

 

AC

 

Similar mixed feedback with some businesses doing well others less so.

 

Tourism Infrastructure Fund bids being worked up for Braemar and Ballater

 

Virtual Highland Games well received; 154,000 views in 24 hrs, 225,000 in 48 hrs – mostly NZ, Australia, USA, and Europe.

 

 

CNPA

 

Tourism Infrastructure Fund bids being worked up for Loch Muick car park & traffic management, Beinn a Ghlo (Blair Atholl) car park and Dinnet visitor management.

 

Outdoor Education Centres collectively campaigning for Scottish Gov support – there are a large number of the centres are in and around Cairngorms

3.Reset

 

Overview of consumer insights and other research – Scottish Tourism Index – wave 4

4.Restart

 

Visitor Management Issues – still busy across CNP and anticipated to continue through to October half terms. Land Managers meetings now fortnightly with a specific focus each meeting on; campervans (9 Sept), traffic management and visitor man planning. Longer end of season review 28th October.

 

Media very interested in CNPA mid-term review with their focus on the increase in irresponsible behaviour. CNPA focus being on partnership delivery of reopening, significant but ‘still small’ increase in irresponsible behaviour and responsible behaviour by vast majority of visitors, and the need to plan now for 2021.

 

 

5.Recover

 

– RTIF applications covered in 2. CNPA and partners encouraged to share their views with VS on how to make the scheme more effective. Advantages of Scotland wide approach and focus to solving problems such as ‘campervan waste’ agreed with a longer term 3yr+ approach to solving such agreed needs.

 

6.Any Other Updates

 

Scottish Gov 14 Sept, national partnership meeting looked at how to improve rural visitor experience recognising the need to address both infrastructure and behaviour change.  There are likely to be two national groups emerging to shape this work –

 

  • Visitor Infrastructure
  • Visitor Engagement – education, messaging & enforcement

 

Europarc annual conference held virtually with CNPA sharing the Cairngorms Covid-19 stories at an oversubscribed workshop of 60. Common themes across Europe of ‘new’ visitors with an increase in irresponsible behaviour

 

CNPA looking at the opportunity for a bid to http://www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/tournat.htm

 

CNP Tourism Partnership full meeting set for 9th November with a focus on end of year review.

 

Post Meeting:

 

Emailed updates from VS

 

Recovery Activity

  • HIE announced they are providing £3m of support to DMOs across the HIE area as part of their response to COVID-19.
  • EventScotland will host a webinar tomorrow (Tuesday) on Monetising Online Events.
  • There was an update and Q&A published about the Events Industry Advisory Group.
  • The Events Industry Support Fund closed today; the Hotels Support Programme closed on 4 September with 214 submissions representing 325 hotels.
  • Timings and guidance was shared for the Cultural Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund, administered by Creative Scotland.
  • The latest minutes from STERG (3 Sep) were published. Feedback from STERG on the first draft of the Tourism Task Force report has been collated and is currently being reviewed; work on the draft continues, particularly on the prioritisation criteria which will be used to sort the proposed recommendations.
  • VisitScotland are convening a ‘responsible camping’ summit this week, to be chaired by Fergus Ewing MSP.

 

Marketing

  • VisitScotland published a blog on 7 Quirky Aberdeen Streets with Great Places to Stay (also translated into Dutch).
  • VisitScotland launched a series of short films promoting the regions of Scotland, including one for Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire, which has already had 48K views.
  • VisitBritain will launch their new £5 million autumn domestic campaign, #EscapeTheEveryday, this Wednesday. Industry are invited to take part by sharing their three favourite tips for escaping the everyday. The campaign is designed to inspire consumers to travel and book a UK break this autumn onwards to help with industry recovery. Campaign assets are also available for use. It is thought the campaign will have a strong focus on cities.
  • Stories of Aberdeenshire, a joint project between VisitScotland and the Elphinstone Institute launched today.  The £100k LEADER-funded project researched traditional folklore, song and crafts in Aberdeenshire and created a suite of marketing content, promoted throughout Scotland with a modest paid advertising budget. Industry and heritage organisations are invited to share the assets and their own #StoriesofAberdeenshire throughout September and October.

 

Other

  • Festival UK*2022 launched for applications. The festival aims to enable ten ‘open, original, optimistic, large-scale and extraordinary acts of public engagement that will showcase the UK’s creativity and innovation to the world’.  £12m has been earmarked for project delivery within Scotland.
  • A new multi-purpose digital arena was proposed for a prominent site next to Slessor Gardens at Dundee’s billion pound waterfront. The future arena would host circa 4,000 seats and an esports academy for further and higher education.
  • The Scottish Government published its Programme for Government; highlights specifically relating to tourism can be found on the STA website.

 

 

Visit Britain Video https://www.visitbritain.com/gb/en/escape-everyday

7.Date of next meeting

28th Sept 2020 11.00 – 12.00

Relevant papers will be available here shortly before the meeting.