Webinars offer opportunity to talk tourism in Caithness and Sutherland
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Businesses and communities in Caithness and Sutherland are being invited to take part in a series of Talking Tourism webinars over the autumn and winter period.
Most of the live online sessions are open to all businesses and communities across the far north and offer support, information, networking and collaboration opportunities.
They are being run by Venture North, the destination management organisation for tourism in Caithness and Sutherland.
The series began on September 26 with an informal catch-up session for participants to share how the 2023 visitor season had been for their business and local area. Overall feedback from participants indicated that it has been a positive season, with businesses welcoming increased visitors from Europe and the United States.
Financial concerns including increased costs and staff shortages across the sector were also shared.
Venture North launched Talking Tourism as a pilot series in March 2022 to encourage inclusion of all rural areas and minimise time away from business. The first full autumn/winter series was launched in September that year.
As part of Venture North’s Destination Recovery Strategy, the series provides businesses and communities within Caithness and Sutherland with a knowledge base of industry trends, understanding and opportunities within the region.
This year, stakeholders have been consulted on which topics they would like to hear about, to ensure that the programme is relevant and beneficial.
New Talking Tourism topics for this season will include green tourism, community tourism with Scottish Community Tourism (SCOTO) and Wick Development Trust, a beginner’s guide to social media for businesses and a presentation from Caithness Chamber of Commerce about its business support.
Also returning to the programme are VisitScotland, which will give an insight into statistics for 2023, future tourism trends and the business support it can offer.
Angela Johnson of Oldshoremore Retreats in Rhiconich, who attended a number of Talking Tourism events last year, said: "We've had the opportunity to attend many of the Venture North events and they are excellent for keeping up with tourism developments, which is crucial for success.
"Meeting people from different aspects of tourism has given us exposure to the various viewpoints and approaches, and that has been inspiring within our own business."
The next Talking Tourism session takes place on Thursday, October 19, with a focus on responsible tourism.
Philip Waite, Highland Council outdoor access and long-distance route manager, will outline the activities of the local authority's access rangers over the 2023 season.
Venture North will also discuss how knowledge-sharing with the North Highland Visitor Management Group aids its messaging for encouraging responsible visitor behaviour.
Cathy Earnshaw, destination strategy manager for Venture North, said: “As the destination management organisation, we have been able to offer these seminars free of charge to Venture North members along with non-members across the region. This is thanks to the three-year [2021-24] tourism recovery funding provided by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Dounreay Site Restoration Limited and other funding partners.
"We are also in the planning stages for our annual tourism gathering in spring 2024. This is a face-to-face opportunity to hear an update on tourism from a regional and national perspective, while also having the chance to engage with the industry and network with other organisations.”
Venture North works in partnership with communities and representative organisations, government agencies and tourism businesses to maximise the benefits of the visitor economy, support responsible visitor management and encourage sustainable tourism development.
To keep up to date with this series of Talking Tourism and other events, interested parties are encouraged to subscribe to Venture North’s free industry email updates where further details and sign-up links will be shared.
