Posted on by Vanessa Wegstein
South of Scotland Tourism grows by almost £150m (20%) in a year
The latest STEAM (Scottish tourism economic impact modelling) data has been released for the South of Scotland, covering the year 2023, and it shows an incredible 20% increase in the size of our visitor economy, rising by £149m to £911 million, and a 14% increase in the total number of jobs, to 15,652. Download…
Posted on by Sara Barton
Destination Tweed appoints Tourism Business Engagement Officer
Tourism Business Engagement Officer, Neen Kelly, appointed to help local businesses make the most of the River Tweed Trail. Photo: Lloyd Smith The £25 million Destination Tweed project has appointed destination development expert, Neen Kelly as Tourism Business Engagement Officer to help local businesses make the most of the opportunities provided by the planned River…
Posted on by Vanessa Wegstein
Shortlist And New Award Unveiled For The Returning South Of Scotland Thistle Awards
The South of Scotland shortlist for the region’s second dedicated Thistle Awards has been unveiled alongside the announcement of brand-new award category The shortlist for the South of Scotland’s dedicated regional Thistle Awards – Scotland’s leading tourism and events industry accolades – has been revealed today alongside a brand-new award category. Back following…
Posted on by Sara Barton
Canoe trail first for south of Scotland
Long celebrated as one of Scotland’s great salmon rivers, the River Tweed will soon be known for another kind of journey following the launch this month of the first official canoe trail in the south of Scotland. Tweed Valley Canoe Trail Created by Go Tweed Valley, the Tweed Valley Canoe Trail covers a distance of…
Posted on by Sara Barton
Crawick Multiverse designated by Historic Environment Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has added Crawick Multiverse to the inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes. The site was nominated to be considered for designation by a member of the public as part of HES’s ‘Designed Landscapes of the Recent Past’ project, an initiative to identify and champion Scotland’s remarkable modern gardens and designed…
Posted on by Sara Barton
The Thistle Awards are back for 2024, honouring the South of Scotland’s magnificent tourism and hospitality sector
After a hugely successful first year, the South of Scotland’s regional Thistle Awards are back for 2024, showcasing the finest in Scottish tourism and hospitality across the region, with nominations open from 1 March and a dedicated online session on offer to help businesses craft a winning entry. Spearheaded at national level by VisitScotland, in…
Posted on by Sara Barton
Over 65 million Cycling World Championships viewers tune in to see the South of Scotland at its best
Wellbeing Secretary Mairi McAllan and Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Mairi Gougeon joined South of Scotland Cycling Partners, as well as Esther Tacke and Warren Sanders of local business Galloway Cycling Holidays, to mark the economic impact of 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in the South of Scotland. Over 65million broadcast…
Posted on by Sara Barton
Burns is back in town! Dumfries welcomes the bard as he revisits his favourite haunts
Scotland’s National Poet braved the winter storms to revisit some of his favourite Dumfries haunts before Burns Night this Thursday. His visit marks the start of a new joint campaign to establish Dumfries as The Bard’s Town. The Burns Tourism Partnership aims to celebrate Dumfriesshire’s unparalleled connections to Robert Burns, as the region where the…
Posted on by Sara Barton
South of Scotland Thistle Awards returns to celebrate tourism stars
The 12 winners of the region’s second annual Thistle Awards who will go on to represent the South of Scotland at the national Scottish Thistle Awards in November. Photo: Phil Wilkinson Tourism and hospitality businesses from across the South of Scotland celebrated their victories at the South of Scotland’s second annual Thistle Awards ceremony last…
Posted on by Neen Kelly
Experience Design Workshops
River Tweed Trail – would you like to attract more active visitors?Do you have an idea for a new product, service or experience for walkers or cyclists? Ensure you’re ready for the upcoming River Tweed Trail launch.We are holding two tourism innovation workshops on Monday 4th November in Berwick-upon-Tweed and on Tuesday 5 November at…
Posted on by Gowan Miller
Food & Drink Multi Stakeholder Roundtable
Further strengthening the South of Scotland’s food and drink offering is a priority within the Responsible Tourism Strategy. On the 29th August 2024, the SSDA convened a roundtable meeting bringing together many of the organisations that are actively involved in supporting food and drink. Challenges, successes and opportunities were discussed and there was a board…
Posted on by Sarah Macdonald
Stranraer Oyster Festival shortlisted in BBC Food and Farming Awards
BBC Food and Farming Awards 2024 finalists announced. Great to see Scottish companies across the board as well as those in the Scotland-specific category. Huge congratulations to Stranraer Oyster Festival who have been shortlisted! Read more here.
Posted on by Neen Kelly
River Tweed Trail Business Support
Do you have a new business idea or want to grow your business to make the most of the opportunities around the River Tweed Trail? There are free resources, tools, training and one to one support or mentoring from business advisers. If you want to speak to a business adviser about your project, then use…
Posted on by Neen Kelly
The River Tweed Trail Tourism Business Engagement Action Plan
The River Tweed Trail Tourism Business Engagement role is funded by the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund. We have developed an Action Plan to undertake activity over the coming months to include: Strategic objective: The strategic foundations of business awareness and engagement, product development and future marketing for the River Tweed Trail are in place,…
Posted on by Sara Barton
South of Scotland Tourism Data Survey
Our Tourism Data Survey is about understanding what businesses want As part of the South of Scotland Responsible Tourism Strategy, the SSDA, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Scottish Borders Council, SOSE and Visit Scotland are keen to better understand exactly what visitor economy data local businesses want. We invite businesses to take a moment this August to COMPLETE…
Posted on by Vanessa Wegstein
Promoting 'Pawfect' Breaks in the South of Scotland
With National Dog Day celebrations today and a growing market demand for dog-friendly holiday options and experiences, the SSDA has launched a new toolkit to help local businesses attract new customers and their four-legged friends. The toolkit, which is available to read and download here, provides information on the benefits of becoming dog-friendly, along with…
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