Businesses unite to showcase top tourist spots in Perthshire

Tourism: Aim is to encourage more international coach operators to stop off in the region

A key industry that already generates £460 million a year for the economy of Perth and Kinross is pushing to capture a slice of a lucrative market.

Nine of Perthshire’s most renowned destinations are getting together for the first time to showcase the region to the most influential UK and international buyers in the tourist industry.

The City of Perth and Perthshire destination stand will feature at the upcoming Visit Scotland expo, which takes place at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, on April 20 and 21.

Under the banner of the City of Perth and Perthshire, attendance at the event is part of a drive to encourage more international and national coach operators, wholesale tourist agencies and other key buyers in the travel trade industry to use the region’s visitor attractions as stop-off destinations.

The collaboration will mark the biggest standalone representation that Perth and Kinross Council has ever taken to Visit Scotland expo, following on from last year’s event in Aberdeen, where the east of Scotland authorities of Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perth and Kinross combined in a marketing push ahead of the V&A Museum opening in Dundee in 2018.

The organisations that will feature and attend the Visit Scotland Expo2016 are Scone Palace, the Black Watch Castle and Museum, the Library of Innerpeffray, the Famous Grouse Experience at Glenturret Distillery, Strathearn Distillery, Blair Castle, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Golf Perthshire and Visit East Perthshire.

Councillor John Kellas, Perth and Kinross Council’s convener of enterprise and infrastructure, said: “Perthshire, with Perth at its heart, is an incredibly diverse and beautiful region with a great deal to offer tourists wanting to experience Scotland’s very essence and variety.

“Tourism is already a greatly important industry to the area, but there is potential to see a lot of growth in certain areas, such as with international coach parties – a key reason for taking this bold step to organise the City of Perth and Perthshire stand at the Expo in partnership with our top visitor attractions.

“The nine different businesses representing the region are just a snapshot of the quality of the tourism offer in Perth and Kinross.”

Perthshire, with Perth at its heart, is an incredibly diverse and beautiful region with a great deal to offer. JOHN KELLAS

Blair Castle.