Businesses in Sutherland invited to attend web-based ‘Talking Tourism’ Series
An online series exploring tourism topics affecting local businesses and communities is set to return to Caithness and Sutherland this month.
People in the Far North are being invited to attend Venture North’s popular fully online Talking Tourism Webinar series.
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As part of Venture North’s Destination Recovery Strategy funded by Highlands & Islands Enterprise and NRS Dounreay, the series also shares a knowledge base of industry trends, understanding, and opportunities within the region.
This year's series is set to kick off on Thursday September 19, 2024 with an informal catch up with the Venture North Team, where attendees can discuss their experience of the 2024 season. Other planned topics include inclusive tourism, marketing for small businesses and a support session with VisitScotland.
There will also be a session held with the Highland Council Access Rangers to share visitor behaviour insights, which was the highest attended session in the 2023 Talking Tourism series. Venture North continue to strongly advocate for the continued funding for their work across Caithness and Sutherland.
Last year’s series compromised seven webinars held from September 2023 to April 2024, which covered a range of important topics of interest, including Community Tourism with SCOTO and Wick Development Trust, Staffing and Recruitment with Developing the Young Workforce North Highland and an Industry Update with VisitScotland.
The series attracted a record number of over 80 attendees from across the region.
Cara Donald, operations officer at NatureScot said: “Being able to attend the Talking Tourism events is a great way for me to understand what is going in the North Highland area and how that links to my own role.
“Not only do they give me useful insight for my work linked to the Flow Country and nature conservation in general and how they are affected by and can benefit tourism, but it means that I can engage directly with other organisations and businesses across the region.
“There are mutual benefits which given geography and often remote areas we are working and living in is invaluable.”
The webinar series was piloted in March 2022 as an initiative to encourage better inclusion of businesses across the region to accessible information sharing and networking, especially those situated in more rural areas, minimising time spent away from business.
Following its success, the first full autumn/winter series was launched in September the same year.
Ellie Lamont, owner of Mackay’s Hotel, Wick and chairperson of Venture North said: “For me, the Talking Tourism series offers invaluable insights and helps me stay informed on industry trends plus aiding our ability to attract visitors and grow sustainably.
“It's an invaluable source of information and the feedback Venture North has been given proves the speakers and subject are delivering what our members and others want to hear about.”
As the Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Caithness and Sutherland, Venture North works in partnership with local communities and representative organisations, key government agencies and tourism businesses to maximise the benefits of the visitor economy, support responsible visitor management and encourage sustainable tourism development.
To keep up to date with details of this series of Talking Tourism, interested parties are invited to contact Venture North at info@venture-north.co.uk.
