Kintyre 66 – keeping the area’s tourists in the loop
A ‘transformational’ new destination marketing enterprise could well and truly establish Kintyre’s place on the tourism map.
Explore Kintyre and Gigha (EKG) is in the process of finalising a new initiative for the peninsula – the Kintyre 66 – which, it is hoped, will not only bring more tourists to Kintyre, but also encourage them to explore the areas off the beaten track during their visit.
The Kintyre 66 will be a circular route around the peninsula, on the A83 on Kintyre’s west coast and the B842 in the east – a loop of approximately 66 miles – with various ‘spurs’ to areas not on the main arterial route.
The route will learn from the likes of the successful North Coast 500 (NC500) – a 516-mile scenic route around the north coast of Scotland – and other similar offerings, but will have its own strong and unique brand identity.
Recent figures from CalMac have shown on both the Arran to Kintyre, and the Kennacraig to Islay crossings, that over the last five years passenger numbers have increased by a significant amount. This is despite accommodation and activity providers reporting smaller growths in their bookings. EKG therefore feels it is evident that a number of visitors to the area are either very transient, or not exploring the whole peninsula.
Niall Macalister Hall, chairman of EKG, said: ‘We view this as being a truly transformational project for Kintyre and Gigha as a whole. Phase one of what will be, we hope, a much larger project, will be launched before the new season.
‘The peninsula has a huge amount to offer a variety of visitors, however we need to better encourage those visitors to explore the whole area.’
Phase one of the project has involved the creation of a brand, both for digital and printed media. The production and printing of a new map, which will show the route and all the members on the route, is soon to get under way and this will include further details on each area. This will link in with a new website which is also nearing completion.
Phase one has been part-funded by the Cour Community Windfarm Fund and through existing membership fees. However the organisation has ambitious plans for further phases, which could involve the creation of visitor ‘passports’, road signage, viewpoints with interpretation, and a downloadable app describing local points of historical significance.
Iain Johnston, the local development officer funded by
Argyll and The Isles Tourism Cooperative (ATIC) which is working on the project with the committee, said: ‘This is a great initiative which we are putting in place to benefit both our members and the area as a whole. We would strongly urge anyone who has a tourism business that wishes to be featured to get in touch as soon as possible.
‘We can only feature members, so if you haven’t joined, the chance is still there for a short period!’
EKG secretary Nick Fletcher, who is on the AITC advisory panel, added: ‘We are not only aiming to encourage people to come to Kintyre but also to give them ideas of what to do and where to go when they are here.
‘But we need as many tourism-related businesses as possible to help us do that, to promote this as a brilliant destination to visit.’
EKG was created to promote and market the Kintyre and Gigha area on behalf of its members – this includes accommodation providers, tourist attractions, and businesses catering to tourists such as shops and cafes.
It is a member of the Argyll-wide AITC which is an umbrella group for 11 locally-based groups/partners.
For more information about Explore Kintyre and Gigha, visit www.explorekintyre. com, email explorekintyre@ gmail.com or call 01586 552034.