Contract Awarded For £250k Adventure Tourism Programme
17th February 2020
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has contracted marketing and business development company, Business and Tourism Solutions (BTS), who will work with Lochaber Chamber of Commerce to deliver the programme.
It will provide intensive engagement, support and interventions for around 50 businesses and providers in the sector across the Highland Council area.
The programme is believed to be the first of its kind and represents an investment in the sector of more than £250,000.
It forms part of the HIE-led Northern Innovation Hub (NIH), a project that received £11m from the UK Government and £1.7m ERDF support as part of the Inverness and Highland City Region Deal. The Deal is a joint £315 million initiative supported by both the UK and Scottish governments.
Tourism is one of four key growth sectors included in the NIH and includes digital and adventure tourism.
The adventure tourism programme will tap into the area's natural competitive advantage and help firms collaborate, create scale and develop an understanding of new consumer markets in the growing sector.
Outcomes will include new and stronger working relationships between businesses and the wider sector. There will be support for innovation, entrepreneurship and ambition, as well as capacity and capabilities within individual businesses.
Seb Shingler, development manager for tourism in HIE’s Northern Innovation Hub team, said:
"The Highland Council area has more adventure tourism related businesses than any other Scottish local authority area. The sector also has significant potential for further growth, with most firms expecting more activity in the medium and longer term.
“That’s why tourism, particularly adventure tourism, is one of the key sectors covered by the Northern Innovation Hub.
“We are very pleased to engage BTS. The company brings extensive experience in tourism and hospitality sector development. This will be combined with the Lochaber Chamber of Commerce regional knowledge and networks in one of Scotland’s leading areas for adventure tourism. The resulting programme will be used to help businesses across the Highland Council area over the next few years."
The adventure tourism programme will include industry research and market intelligence, case studies and examples. It will help develop methods of attracting new customers, particularly from international markets, and to overcome the barriers specific to the sector.
The project will act as a pilot and following a thorough review the model could be rolled out across the Highlands and Islands and Scotland.
PHOTO - David Lintern
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Shell-volution is an ambitious industry-wide initiative supported by the public sector and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) which has been awarded £4.4 million of investment from the UK Government as part of the Islands Growth Deal. This innovative, ground-breaking project is set to transform shellfish aquaculture, bringing sustainable growth and additional quality jobs in mussel farming, based on detailed investigations (mapping and monitoring) and creating a model for improving security and reliability of wild spat recruitment, through industry best practice.
A Nairn-based foundry, which has achieved international recognition for its larger-than-life bronze castings has invested in a £200,000 expansion to help it reach greater heights. An award of £60,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has helped Black Isle Bronze to improve infrastructure and purchase equipment to extend the range of projects the firm can undertake.
Young businesses and social enterprises in the Highlands and Islands looking to increase productivity, innovation and employment can apply for funding from HIE. The fourth round of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) Young Business Capital Grant (YBCG) is now open to businesses that have been trading for less than five years with up to 250 full-time equivalent employees.
Ambitious young businesspeople in the Highlands and Islands have just one more chance to benefit from a tailored support programme. IMPACT30 was launched by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in 2018 to help nurture and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.
The winners of the Highlands and Islands Food & Drink Awards (HIFAD) 2024 were announced on Friday 1 November at a prestigious ceremony at the Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness. Supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the awards celebrate the talent, quality and diversity across food, drink and hospitality in the Highlands and Islands.
A family run engineering fabrication firm in Caithness is investing in a project to improve productivity, grow business turnover and create new jobs. Gow's Lybster Limited has been working with development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) over several years to develop its growth plans.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will return to Norway to host the Scottish Pavilion at Aqua Nor 2025. The Scottish aquaculture supply chain is invited to register their interest to exhibit as part of the pavilion or join the wider Scottish delegation.
A young engineer working on Britain's deepest nuclear clean-up project has been recognised by the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). Liam Gordon (27) won the Young Chemical Engineer of the Year award at the annual showcase event of the Aberdeen branch of IChemE, the professional body for chemical engineers in the UK.
Food and Drink TechHUB will provide financial and advice support to help businesses, including social and community enterprises, with commercial growth and net zero transition activities. Small to medium sized enterprises in the Highland Council area that operate in the food and drink sector and its supply chain are expected to benefit from a new programme of support launched his week.
Businesses and social enterprises in the Highlands and Islands looking to reduce the environmental impacts of their operations can now apply to a new Green Grant Fund launched on Thursday 26 September 2024. The three-year £2.7m fund was developed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
