Caithness and Sutherland tourism recovery plan secures £293k
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An organisation that promotes tourism in the far north has received £293k from a specialist fund as a "route to recovery" for the tourism industry across Caithness and Sutherland in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Venture North has successfully secured a three-year funding package from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to increase its capacity as a Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for the tourism sector in Caithness and Sutherland.
Catherine Macleod, chair of Venture North, said: "We are delighted to have secured £293k of the project fund from the HIE Strategic Recovery Fund and are excited to start the recruitment of a destination development manager and supporting team followed by working with our stakeholders to develop the recovery plan."
The extra funding will enable Venture North to provide the support required to rebuild the tourism industry across Caithness and Sutherland in the aftermath of the pandemic. It will soon be recruiting a skilled team to achieve collaboration between local development trusts and other tourism-related stakeholders to co-produce a Tourism Destination Recovery Strategy.
As the primary DMO for Caithness and Sutherland, Venture North was able to meet HIE’s funding criteria. The fund supports strategically important DMOs in recognition of the important role they play in supporting the tourism sector, their extensive reach into local businesses and communities and their influence on a sustainable green tourism recovery alongside responsible visitor management.
Venture North was formed in 2013 by a core group of 12 entrepreneurs from the far north to increase tourism footfall and support Caithness and Sutherland tourism businesses to make more of resources and assets through collaboration.
As a DMO, it has achieved much of its initial strategy including developing a website, growth of membership, attendance at tourism events, creating and placing a highly successful food event on the annual calendar, and an acclaimed series of videos about the area.
In mid 2020, prior to anyone knowing the real impacts of the pandemic, the board adopted a strategy document, Venture North 2030 Vision, which sets out a plan for achieving its strategic and commercial objectives.
