Cairngorms' £1m boost to capture share of well-heeled tourist cash

Published on Friday 23 March 2007 00:05

THE enterprise agency for the north-east of Scotland yesterday announced plans for a £1 million investment in tourism development in the eastern side of the Cairngorms National Park.

The investment, agreed by the board of Scottish Enterprise Grampian, aims to boost visitor spending by more than 30 million over the next decade.

The target is to increase visitor numbers by up to 6 per cent each year, creating an additional 1,200 jobs in the area's vital tourism sector.

The agency yesterday warned that, without increased investment, there was a risk tourism could decline in Royal Deeside and other parts of the eastern Cairngorms.

David Littlejohn, SE Grampian's global connections director, explained the 1 million package of funding over the next three years was designed to increase visitor spending by 66 per cent, from 52.3 million to 87 million by 2017.

The funding will go towards a wide range of measures including the development of new products and visitor facilities, improvements in outdoor activities and visitor attractions on estates, and improved training for workers in the sector.

"We have to see ourselves as competing in an international market with the likes of Yosemite National Park in the United States or the Canadian Rockies, and provide increasingly discerning visitors with a world-class destination which matches the best of what is on offer," said Mr Littlejohn.

"Our vision for the area is to increase the number of high-value visitors and boost our economy by making it a sought-after destination for people from across Europe who come to stay in good-quality accommodation and enjoy the park's unique qualities as a remote and wild place."

The SE Grampian team, working on the development of the local tourism industry, has already identified the need for at least one small to medium-sized resort to be created in the eastern Cairngorms. It is narrowing down suitable locations and identifying potential investors.

Garry Marsden, interim chairman of the area's destination management organisation, said: "This investment is very welcome and will make a significant difference in helping us provide an all-round better experience for tourists."

The funding boost was also welcomed by Andrew Harper, head of economic and social development at the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

He said: "This will help boost the Cairngorms National Park's tourism industry by improving the quality of the visitor experience, helping to increase expenditure within the area."

• Campaigners pushing to extend the Cairngorms National Park boundary say they will continue their fight despite MSPs ruling it out.

This week the Scottish Parliament rejected by 64 votes to 47 a move to widen the park to include Highland Perthshire.

John Swinney, the SNP MSP for Tayside North, had raised a private bill to extend the area, already the biggest national park in the UK.