The current tourism strategy is the Tourism Framework for Change which was launched in 2006 and the ambition to grow the value of Scottish tourism by 50 percent by 2015.
Given the change in the economic and market environment since 2006, a new industry led Tourism Leadership Group (TLG) is currently refreshing the industry strategy with the aim to get a fresh focus and stronger collective action to drive future growth.
In supporting the delivery of the strategy, our work recognises that Scotland’s assets form the basis for international competitiveness but that there are barriers preventing the sector from reaching its potential.
These include:
- businesses being unable to access the information they require to develop their businesses
- individual businesses being reluctant to make investments on their own
- the fact that the sector is heavily dependent on the physical environment and infrastructure which is traditionally an area for public rather than private investment.
As an example, our destination approach seeks to tackle the barriers facing industry in an integrated way by promoting a gathering and sharing of market intelligence, business collaboration and investment in facilities and infrastructure through comprehensive destination development plans.
In supporting the current Tourism strategy, the Tourism Framework for Change, we are focused on those opportunities which exist around the tourism assets that offered the strongest basis for international competitiveness and growth.
These include:
Together these interventions will deliver a critical mass of investment that will provide the basis for future success in tourism for Scotland.