The advice was given by Roy Kirk, the new area inward investment manager for Highlands and Islands Enterprise, at a conference in Wick hosted by the fledgling North Highland Tourism Ltd.

Mr Kirk also stressed the importance of investment and attracting free-spending foreign visitors and pledged his support to help achieve the organisation's aims.

He told delegates at the conference in Mackay's Hotel, Wick, which followed NHT's AGM, that they had a "hugely valuable and unique commodity" – their area.

Mr Kirk said he unashamedly gave priority to selling the area and, for example, pushing the idea that coming to Thurso for surfing was every bit as exciting as pursuing the sport in Hawaii.

He continued: "When I was doing some training on sales, we taught people the maxim that what you believe, you will acquire. I would commend that type of thought to you."

Mr Kirk said that attracting financial capital from inside and outside the area was going to be a very important strand of NHT's strategy.

He went on: "There are three reasons why business from outside would want to invest in this area and these are money, money, money. That is the nature of business and if we can work with yourselves to show how we can get a better economic return, you will be more and more sustainable, your businesses will be worth more and the whole community will benefit."

Mr Kirk said there was a marvellous opportunity to bring private money into the area and he was confident that in the next year there would be people bidding to get into investment projects in the North Highlands."

He said: "I believe you have a marvellous product which is unique around the world."

Mr Kirk said that he would like to work with NHT to bring in brand names such as Hilton and Marriott Hotels as the area was currently missing out on that part of the global market.

The investment manager commented: "Who would have thought 10 years ago that we would have had a Harrods in the North Highlands."

He said there was evidence that some visitors patronised areas because their favourite brand was there and explained that adding this feature would enhance the mix of business opportunities locally.

Mr Kirk said that he had previously been involved in a meeting in New York with billionaire Donald Trump who is hoping to establish a links golf course near Aberdeen.

Mr Kirk continued: "He said to me, 'You are from the Scottish Government. I am thinking of a billion dollar development in Scotland. How much will you give me?' My answer was, "Nothing... but let me show you how I can help you.'"

He told delegates: "You don't need to worry too much about how you find money. If you have a proposition that is exciting and dynamic, the marketplace is hungry for good ideas and quality products. It is very important that we work together in a partnership that will grow and develop and achieve so much more."

Mr Kirk stressed the importance of the foreign visitor market. Ten per cent of the visitors that come to Scotland are from abroad and they account for 25 per cent of the money.

He openly admitted that if he was running a tourism-orientated business he would "gravitate" towards the foreign guest paying £200 a night as opposed to £100 a night.

Mr Kirk went on: "It is all about driving up the type of visitors you have and the amount of money they have to spend with you. We need to learn from others about the good things they have done and whether we can use or adapt."

Local MP John Thurso addresses the conference in Mackay's Hotel, Wick, on Monday afternoon. Robert MacDonald 01955 602741

He exhorted NHT to attend trade fairs and exhibitions, and possibly trade missions, to tell people "what fantastic products you have".

Mr Kirk said he was "excited" about what VisitScotland could do for the North Highlands but warned delegates not to expect that this would include selling local businesses.

"That is your job," he explained. "You are entitled to ask VisitScotland to give you a hand and that is perfectly reasonable but you need to understand, if I may be so bold, that the way to be successful in business is to ask, always be asking.... ask your guests, ask for business. Ask us, we can help you identify gaps in the market."

The conference heard from discussion groups facilitated by Dounreay staff which examined existing resources and attractions in the North Highlands and ways in which these could be further promoted and developed.

MP John Thurso, himself a businessman, maintained that the key to marketing was to know who was coming to the area and why, information that would enable operators to interest other visitors. He said that an exchange of information between operators with the aim of building up a picture would be of "immense benefit" to tourism in the Far North.

The MP referred to the "chronically rushed" pace of modern life and said: "Time, space and human contact are the three great luxuries of the 21st century. Here we have time and we make it for ourselves and our visitors.

"We give them our time and we share it with them... we slow them down. We get them up in the North in a rush and we just calm them down and send them back slowly. We have space, oodles of space – it's coming out of our ears – and above all we have human contact.

"We are a naturally sociable people, we like to talk, we like to shake hands, we like to welcome. These are the three things, above all the other luxuries that will come to exist in this coming century as being most important."

The MP said that a huge challenge lay ahead of them as a tiny part of a vast market but the North Highlands had some very special attributes.

He referred to the type of visitor who wanted what the area had to offer and went on: "The luxury they are after is not the luxury of marble and gold but the luxury of time, space and human contact. It is the luxury of the unexpected excess of extreme pleasure. These are the things that people are after."

Closing the conference, NHT director Lord Maclennan of Rogart thanked everyone concerned for making the conference not merely "exceptional, successful and enjoyable" but "a real starting point for the drive forward to capitalise on the foundations laid" and make tourism a force in the area's economy.

He made reference to speakers who outlined the practical steps that had to be taken to "turn aspirations into reality" and acknowledged NHT marketing consultants Robson-Brown, who had done "so much to focus our minds".

Lord Maclennan added: "It is becoming a very valuable relationship and we are very grateful to them and VisitScotland for making that relationship possible and enabling us to develop it."

He said that the North Highland Initiative, which spawned NHT, owed more to John Thurso than any other individual as, said Lord Maclennan, it was the MP who had "painted the possibilities" to Prince Charles which had kindled the enthusiasm and interest necessary in getting it off the ground.

The NHI was launched by Prince Charles in 2005.

n.donaldson@nosn.co.uk

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