It is our pleasure to announce that the SSDA will host the inaugural South of Scotland Destination conference on Tuesday 15th March at the Crichton in Dumfries. With our tourism and hospitality industry currently facing another challenging year, the 2022 Destination South of Scotland conference will inspire industry to rebuild bigger and better, with excellent…
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Volunteers from the local community and HSBC UK employees have joined forces to progress an ambitious landscape restoration project at the National Trust for Scotland’s Threave Estate in Dumfries and Galloway. More than 200 native aspen trees were planted on the Kelton Mains site, as part of the conservation charity’s centuries-spanning Threave Landscape Restoration Project…
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Ten innovative responsible tourism projects across the country have been made possible as part of the Scottish Government’s £25 million tourism recovery programme to support the sector’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The projects, which collectively received over £500k in funding, were revealed today by Scottish Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) and Highlands and…
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BUDGET ANNOUNCEMENT AND NEW CAMPAIGNS FOR THE SOUTH OF SCOTLAND Yesterday was budget day and the chancellor has outlined his plans. It’s encouraging to see higher than expected economic growth, Mr Sunak also announced a 48 per cent rise in skills investment. The hospitality industry is clearly in need of support here. In addition, he…
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The Station House Cookery School has been awarded a prestigious kitemark of quality and accreditation from leading regulatory body, the Independent Cookery School Association (ICSA). The school, based in the picturesque fishing town of Kirkcudbright, in Dumfries and Galloway runs a variety of culinary courses to train both novice cooks and aspiring chefs in a…
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£240K FUNDING BOOST FOR THE SOUTH The SSDA are delighted to be awarded funding from VisitScotland’s Destination and Sector Marketing Fund and the Destination Leadership Recovery fund. We will be implementing the awards until March, working with businesses across the South of Scotland on marketing and product development activities. Local destination groups also recently awarded…
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Pop-up talks With excitement building before the return of the Galloway Hoard to the region in October, a series of mini pop-up events focussing on the story of its discovery will travel to sites around Galloway. The Galloway Hoard is the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland.…
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Iconic Scotland Exhibition. Ahead of its public opening on 26 August, the latest addition to Scotland’s cultural and heritage scene – The Great Tapestry of Scotland – has today revealed a new exhibit telling the people’s story of Scotland through the reflections and photographs of over 40 national icons, pioneers and inspiring individuals. Iconic Scotland…
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With the summer holidays, the Scottish heatwave and the relaxation of restrictions, the tourist season in the South of Scotland has been picking up speed and this month. We have heard from members that interest from potential visitors is ever increasing, a stark contrast to just a few months ago. With this in mind, SSDA are…
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The SSDA is driving forward the national tourism agenda. In a recent article in The Times our CEO wrote about the importance of tourism to the national recovery and the fantastic opportunities it affords from a career perspective. What is needed is a change in approach so that tourism is pushed up the national agenda. …
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