Tourism in Fife was worth £588m to the economy in 2018, supporting over 12,000 jobs. What is continuing to drive visitors to the area, and what impact is this having on local businesses?
Since Fife Tourism Partnership was established, we have worked hard to ensure Fife’s tourism offering is promoted more effectively, including the development of collaborative groups such as the Fife Golf Partnership and Fife Food network which bring significant economic return. The establishment of six Local Tourist Associations, which ensure businesses and communities are involved in driving tourism to their area, have been essential to visitor increase most recently demonstrated by the re-opening of the Fife Pilgrim Way.
Over 100 businesses across Fife have undertaken the WorldHost customer care initiative and been rewarded with accreditations for exceptional customer service, making Fife the third region of Scotland to achieve WorldHost destination status.
Events generate £18m alone each year to Fife’s economy, and when combined with the development of accessible tourism across the region and international visitor appeal from TV series such as Outlander and Outlaw King, it’s no surprise Fife has been the third highest searched for destination in Scotland by TripAdvisor.
As technology evolves, there is a greater demand for tourism to incorporate digital elements. How is Fife adapting to this?
Today’s visitor demographics want to book accommodation online and share their experiences through online platforms. Everyone involved in tourism needs to become a digital advocate, as adopting digital practices will enhance visitor experiences and appeal to new audiences.
FTP recently launched In the Footsteps of Kings, a free augmented reality app for 3-13 year-olds which brings Fife’s rich ancient past to life, allowing users to trace the footsteps of royal ancestors across the Heartlands of Fife.
Combining digital with education, tourism and wellbeing enables visitors to enjoy Fife in multiple capacities while still delivering economic value to the area.
Digital and social media campaigns are an essential marketing tool in tourism, and have resulted in a 76 percent increase of users to the Welcome to Fife website, with similar growth on social media channels. This led to demand for a series of Fife Five visitor activity recommendation videos, which reached an international online audience of over seven million. Digital has worked its way into the heart of modern business practice and must be adopted in order to keep up with demand, but it’s still important to maintain a personal feel.
How important are partnerships and collaborations to support the future of tourism and businesses in the industry?
Collaboration between businesses and communities is essential for areas where there is so much to see and do, with multiple opportunities for businesses to help each other develop.
The Fife Food Network, Fife Golf Partnership, and Cruise Forth are just some examples of successful collaborations. Food and golf sectors have shown significant growth both in investment and economic return. Fife is one of few areas where new golf courses are built, with food offerings going from strength to strength.
Developing such successful visitor campaigns creates a strong sense of place, and generates further opportunities to attract new visitors to the area.
As the launch of Fife’s 2019 – 2029 Tourism and Events Strategy approaches, what are the key priorities for the region in the next ten years?
Fife Tourism Partnership has always taken a collaborative approach to the region’s tourism offering with local businesses at the heart of development. The 2019 - 2029 Tourism and Events strategy is aligned with the existing Local Outcome Improvement Plan 2017-2027 and Economic Strategy 2017-2027 to achieve even stronger economic and employment growth.
Fife tourists spend a large proportion of their time enjoying the outdoors, visiting historic landmarks and walking along award-winning beaches, demonstrating the importance of enhancing visitor experiences to showcase the region’s rich countryside and coastlines.
More than 200,000 people attend events across the region annually, and we want to increase this value by a further £2m using platforms such as the Fife Events app, which enable local businesses to grow their tourism offering organically.
Tourism supports a wealth of jobs across the region, and we want to grow the number of full-time positions in tourism to 13,000 by working with employers, colleges and schools across the region to showcase the career progression available in the tourism industry.
Your adventure starts here: www.welcometofife.com
Tourism is everyones business. Raise your business profile within Scotland’s tourism sector by connecting with the Scottish Tourism Alliance today www.scottishtourismalliance.co.uk
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