The marine tourism in the enchanting Scotland yacht charter location is an important contributor to the Scottish Economy, but with little previous strategic input it is still one of Scotland’s sleeping giants, producing £101m from sailing tourism alone. Therefore BMF Scotland, a group association of the British Marine Federation (BMF), has recently met with the other industry experts, user groups, public agencies, as well as enterprise bodies to develop the Marine Tourism Strategy.
The beautiful Scotland yacht rental location
By 2020 they want Scotland to be distinguished “A marine tourism destination of first choice for high quality, value for money and memorable customer experience delivered by skilled and passionate people.”
The Scottish Marine Tourism Development Group (including industry groups, BMF Scotland, RYA Scotland and Sail Scotland as well as VisitScotland, The Crown Estate, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International, Scottish Canals, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and Firth of Clyde Forum) has produced this draft strategy. Focusing on the sustainable growth of Scotland’s marine leisure sector, it is the first of its kind to identify a clear path forward with achievable step by step actions.
Steven Dott, Highlands & Islands Enterprise’s (HIE) Senior Development Manager comments: “Given the massive growth potential of sailing tourism and the potential impacts on communities right across our region, one of our most important areas of work is to grow this sector. Having a more coordinated approach across the sector will help build on recent investments in projects such as Portavadie, Stornoway, and across the Highlands and Islands. BMF Scotland, RYA Scotland and Sail Scotland have played key roles in contributing to the growth and reputation of Scotland’s marine tourism businesses. As a world class sailing destination, we at HIE on behalf of the enterprise agencies are delighted to provide financial assistance to continue this work at a critical time of the sector’s development.”
Scotland’s marine environment is one of its crown jewels and encompasses some of the world’s most beautiful and varied boating waters. With the whole industry behind this strategy, the Development Group firmly believe marine tourism in Scotland can achieve its full potential. Whilst they believe this draft strategy to be substantial they are very keen to hear other’s views.
As Martin Latimer, Vice Chairman of BMF Scotland and Non-executive Director of Scottish Canals explains: “Although the Scottish marine industry has been a major contributor to the tourism economy, only recently has the government and agencies grasped its real potential for growth. This strategy will inform, develop and raise the profile of our industry further.
To be fully representative, we are asking all those in the leisure marine industry or closely related to it to provide relevant input to the consultation. Thereby ensuring the strategy is the most accurate and powerful tool it can be in moving the industry forward in 2015 and beyond.”
The draft strategy was launched at Scotland’s Boat Show in October and the consultation process will run until January 2015.
