The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
How a woodland spectacular is driving tourism
A tourism triumph, The Enchanted Forest delivers a massive economic and social benefit to Pitlochry
Who would have thought an autumn stroll in the woods would turn into such a huge visitor success that it has reorientated the whole area’s tourism economy?
Such an unlikely outcome has happened in Pitlochry with the Enchanted Forest.
It began as a small project to encourage people to go walking in the woods to improve their health.
It has grown into a massive public event offering a spectacular show of coloured light and sound that makes an economic impact in and around the Highland Perthshire town estimated at £3 million a year.
Last year it attracted 70,000 visitors over October, which it has turned into the Pitlochry area’s busiest and most profitable holiday period.
Trustee Cathy Joss said: “August used to be the busiest month of the year in Pitlochry with the number of summer visitors to the town.
“Now it is October when the hotel, bed and breakfast and guest house accommodation is fullest and the shops, restaurants and pubs do the most trade, and that’s because of the Enchanted Forest.”
Fellow trustee Karen Aycan added: “The event now has a turnover of more than £1m and visitors’ spending in overnight accommodation, restaurants, shops, bars and transport is worth £3m.
“As well as supporting the Pitlochry area’s businesses, that money supports the jobs of people who work in these businesses. The Enchanted Forest has become a massive success.”
It began 15 years ago as a Perthshire Big Tree Country Event which the Forestry Commission Scotland proposed to encourage people to go walking in forests.
With funding from Perth and Kinross Council, Scottish Enterprise and other partners, it opened at the Hermitage in Dunkeld.
It was a modest success attracting 1,500 visitors, and after two years it was moved to Faskally Wood north of Pitlochry.
The plan was to put the event on tour round Perthshire but as it developed with more elaborate sound and light features, public interest grew and Pitlochry took it to its heart.
Fisher’s Hotel in the town centre became the departure point for a customer transport service, and the accommodation providers as well as restaurants and pubs saw takings rise.
Realising its potential to be a real asset to the town, a community group was formed in 2007 to enhance its value through a complementary autumn festival to encourage people to spend more time in the area
The enlarged initiative thrived and the community group formed itself into a Community Interest Company.
Karen said: “The idea of that was that the Big Tree Country could gift the event to the community, and we ran it on that basis until 2014 when we became a registered charity as the Enchanted Forest Community Trust.”
The Enchanted Forest’s success was measured by the growth in visitors and scale – from 18,000 people over 17 nights in 2009 to 70,000 over 32 nights in 2016.
As its size has grown, so has its management and about 100 paid staff have taken over from volunteers.
It has also become one where as soon as one year’s event finishes, planning for the next year’s starts.
Karen continued: “With 2,000 people coming every night the organisation has to be professional and we have had to change to meet the needs of the event.”
To ensure the Enchanted Forest’s continuation a trading surplus is vital. In 2015 the profit was about £120,000.
As well as paying wages and costs, the proceeds are invested in a variety of ways to maintain and improve the quality of the event.
Local good causes also benefit, with £10,000 being donated to them in each of the last three years.
The big winner is the Pitlochry area for the economic and social benefit it receives.
Karen continued: “For every 2,000 people who attend the Enchanted Forest, 1,000 of them stay the night in a hotel, guest house or bed and breakfast establishment.
“That translates to a total economic impact of £3 million, which is a fantastic sum.”
There is no doubt that this Big Tree sapling event has taken root, grown and branched out into towering tourism triumph for Perthshire.