The Scottish government has sanctioned a funding to boost the travel and tourism of Ayrshire, Firth of Clyde and Clyde Islands.
The tourism in Ayrshire, Firth of Clyde and Clyde Islands has been given a £300,000 boost to encourage more visitors to explore the region. Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism & External Affairs, made the announcement as part of an industry event hosted by Scottish Tourism Alliance at the Waterside Hotel in West Kilbride.
There are around 100 local businesses and other stakeholders gathered to hear plans for an exciting new tourism initiative for Ayrshire, Firth of Clyde and Clyde Islands: ‘Five Routes – One Great Adventure’, as part of this latest Scottish Government funding commitment.
The Scottish Government announcement is the first phase of planned financial support to help boost tourism in this region.
The future funding will be made available to help boost tourism and the rural economy, covering six local authority areas; North Ayrshire; East Ayrshire; South Ayrshire; Argyll & Bute; Renfrewshire and Inverclyde.
Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop said that the announcement is an exciting development for Ayrshire and the wider region. The opening of this stunning series of five ring routes will help showcase Ayrshire’s natural beauty and enhance the region’s tourism offer. These routes, and the co-operative working between the industry and local authorities, are an important development and will help Ayrshire develop as a destination showcasing to our visitors all that the region has to offer.
The expert line-up at today’s stakeholder event also included Marc Crothall (CEO, Scottish Tourism Alliance); Professor John Lennon (Director of the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business Development, Glasgow Caledonian University); Councillor Alex Gallagher (North Ayrshire Council) and Linda Johnston (Co Founder & Managing Director, Auchrannie Leisure Ltd, Hotel, Spa Resort & Country Club).
Marc Crothall, chief executive officer, Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA), added that today’s announcement is a huge boost for all organisations connected with tourism in the region and shines the light on the huge potential to develop these wonderful local assets into experiences for international and national visitors.
Gordon Smith, VisitScotland Regional Director, said that with its ancient castles, stunning coastlines, famous golf courses and links to Burns, Ayrshire has always been a popular holiday destination, this exciting funding announcement and the creation of an ambitious new initiative, Five Routes- One Great Adventure, will ensure the region can continue to grow its offering, attracting more visitors in the future.
