Successful first year for The Coig provides routes to recovery for tourism
A major initiative to promote the Ayrshire and the Clyde islands as a tourism destination is celebrating a successful first year, reaching a potential audience of more than 25 million people despite the global pandemic.
The Coig – Gaelic for five – was launched as a not-for-profit industry led organisation at the start of 2020, promoting five routes which join up the region and market the whole of Ayrshire and the Clyde islands of Arran, Bute, and Cumbrae as a tourist destination for the very first time.
Campaigns have targeted potential leisure visitors from the UK and Ireland, encouraging them to visit Ayrshire and the Clyde Islands when travel restrictions allowed. Activity has been coordinated with a range of regional and national partners.
The success of the first year of the initiative has been highlighted by VisitScotland chief executive Malcolm Roughead, who chairs the Ayrshire Visitor Economy Strategy Group (AVESG). He said: ‘The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on the tourism industry in Scotland and has changed the lives of people right across the country. We won’t just be able to push a button and tourism will recover – we have had a year of very little investment, job losses and business closures and it will take time and significant support to get us back to a thriving industry.
‘But the passion of the industry is clear and, despite the incredible challenges, the first year of The Coig has been a major success and has helped to promote the wealth of fantastic experiences on offer across Ayrshire and the Clyde Islands, presenting it all together with a series of inter-connected routes for the first time.’
The Coig chief executive Daniel Steel said: ‘It’s been the most challenging first year imaginable, but with the support of industry and strong collaborations with regional and national partners, the reach of The Coig has grown quickly, showing the appetite for our routes around Ayrshire and the Clyde islands.
‘We have been totally focused on helping our businesses and communities throughout the past year, using our quickly growing channels to underline messaging about supporting local, travelling responsibly, and working together. These principles will continue to be core as we move forward, and out of lockdown.’