Councils on tourist trail
Big plans to boost visitor numbers
Council chiefs are hoping to boost tourism numbers by bringing an extra one million visitors to the area.
The target has been set for the next five years and ties in with a strategy to grow the economy, jobs and business.
North and South Lanarkshire Councils are both on board with the plan, which hopes to build on recent exposure which brought thousands to Strathclyde Park for the European Championships.
Councillor Allan Graham, convener of Enterprise and Housing Resources with North Lanarkshire Council, said: “Councils across the region are committed to working together to boost tourism for the benefit of all our areas.
“By attracting more visitors to the region we’re boosting local economies and putting ourselves on the tourism map. In turn, our role is to ensure our attractions are first class, deliver value for money and are easily accessible.”
Councillor Graham added: “North Lanarkshire was a proud host venue for the Glasgow 2018 European Championships and warmly welcomed visitors to Strathclyde Park to see world-class sporting events.
“As well as hosting competitive events, Strathclyde Park was named as a top attraction for visitors who want to experience the tranquillity of the loch, walks, children’s play facilities or water sport activities on offer.
“It is hoped that while visitors are here they take advantage of the excellent transport links on offer and enjoy travelling and taking in the fantastic sites on offer in the Glasgow City Region, which is one of the largest city regions in the UK.”
Strathclyde Park remains one of the top tourist attractions in Lanarkshire.
It lies in 400 hectares of countryside and offers outdoor adventure playgrounds, bicycle hire, fitness gym, watersports centre with café, conference facilities and watersports including popular family funboats and Scotland’s theme park M&D’S.
A recent addition is the new state-of-art Bothwellhaugh football pitches – named after the coal mining village which previously occupied Strathclyde Park loch.
Strathclyde Park is also an internationally renowned water sports venue which has previously held rowing championships at all levels including the 1986 Commonwealth Games and the 1996 World Championships.
It also regularly hosts rowing and sailing events and £680,000 was spent on a striking makeover for the finishing tower by the loch.
Some of the key actions set out in the Glasgow City Region tourism strategy include: Councils establishing a culture group to promote and maximise existing cultural assets; a regional events and festivals forum being established to co-ordinate a programme of events to develop new and existing audiences; a new outdoor activities group that will aim to identify themes for crossboundary activities.
Glasgow City Region Cabinet Chair Susan Aitken is optimistic about the plan and said: “Every part of the region has its own strengths and bringing those offers together will ultimately benefit us all.”