Firm’s bid to tackle strain on tourist hotspots

A tech firm is hoping jubilee bank holiday weekend tourists will give it the data it needs to help prevent future overcrowding at visitor hotspots.

Start-up firm Whereverly is working with bosses at the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, as well as Stirling Council and Perth and Kinross Council, to help them deal with some of the problems that have come with surging tourist numbers, such as traffic jams, litter and so-called dirty camping, where campers leave sites covered with litter and damaged by fires.

A tech platform is being developed which uses data from sensors which will count footfall and traffic within the national park, allowing them to show in real time which areas are busiest.

Together with on-theground observations added by countryside rangers, this will be used to inform an algorithm which will predict areas and times for overcrowding.

Social media and electronic road signs can then be used to give visitors alternative suggestions on where to go.

Iain McNeill from Whereverly said: “We’re using technology to tackle a problem that has come about due to the pandemic. It’s great that many more people are exploring the natural environment closer to home but it is putting areas such as Loch Lomond and Loch Tay under strain.

“The upcoming holidays will be a significant test and an important opportunity to gather the data we need to train the algorithm we hope to use in future.”

He continued: “This is about giving people information to make informed choices, so we can continue to enjoy a booming visitor economy but more evenly spread.”