Tourism continues to grow

Published 26 Feb 2010 14:37 0 Comments

In the midst of the worst recession in memory, tourism in East Ayrshire has continued to grow for the second successive year, following the development of the area's Tourism Strategy.

Independent research shows that from the baseline of £55.75 million in 2007, tourism revenue in the area has grown to around £60.57m in 2008, and initial reports suggest that this is likely to be followed by a further 1% growth once full year figures for 2009 are published in a few weeks time.

The East Ayrshire Tourism Strategy and Action Plan was developed throughout 2008 and officially launched in 2009, setting out a vision for the way ahead for developing the contribution of the tourism sector to the local economy by supporting the development of tourism businesses and developing linkages between tourism businesses in the private sector and attractions and facilities operated by the public sector.

Councillor Jim Buchanan, East Ayrshire Council Spokesperson for Environment and Regeneration, paid tribute to the success of the strategy: "Tourism is a vital component of our economy and it is encouraging to see the results of our increased strategic focus in this area. Looking at the figures I have no doubt that our strategic direction is correct and beginning to make a real difference. With public and private partners working together to improve the tourism offer and promote the area I am sure that local businesses and communities will continue to reap the benefits in the long term."

Natalie Howson, Sales Manager at Kilmarnock's Park Hotel, said: "There are so many destinations competing for visitors in the current market that we can only succeed in growing tourism if we work together. The strategic approach adopted by the Council over the past couple of years has helped to draw businesses together, promote the area and further develop our visitor offer. We need to continue to work hard in order to achieve growth, but while other sectors have been collapsing tourism has held its own during the toughest period I've ever experienced."

Councillor Bobby McDill, East Ayrshire Council Spokesperson for Environment and Regeneration, greeted the news with optimism, saying: "Although the figures represent quite modest growth on our baseline, it is important to view this in context. Tourism revenue fell in this area over a five year period prior to 2007. We have worked hard along with our partners to redress this by developing an approach which capitalises on our strengths. This news shows that we are now on the trajectory we need in order to achieve our strategic target of 10% real terms growth by 2015, so the future looks very bright indeed."

Following the outstanding success of East Ayrshire's strategic approach to tourism, plans are already underway to capitalise on this by increasing the marketing of the area and hosting a variety of events for tourism businesses to encourage collaboration and cross-selling over the next few months.

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