Borders perfectly placed to become leading tourist destination

With the pandemic creating a ‘perfect storm’ of staycations, Calder believes that the South of Scotland is perfectly placed to become a leading tourist destination.

Speaking at the South of Scotland Destination Alliance’s inaugural conference in Dumfries last week Calder, who holidayed in the South of Scotland last year, shared suggestions for attracting more visitors.

He said: “More than ever, people want to slow down. They want to escape to the sea, the hills and crave wide open spaces with natural beauty, which are all available in abundance in the South of Scotland.”

Highlighting many people’s concerns around going on holiday abroad and avoiding busy places, Calder said that the recipe for success for South of Scotland’s tourism businesses was to offer “experiences that create lasting memories”.

Simon Calder

Other speakers at the event included the South of Scotland Destination Alliance’s CEO Ross McAuley, who shared his vision to elevate the South to a ‘go-to place rather than a go-through place’.

Discussing the SSDA’s ‘Scotland Starts Here’ campaign to develop the South into a year-round destination, McAuley shared a number of initiatives highlighting the SSDA’s focus on collaborating with other partners. These included a partnership with Scotland Food & Drink which will include two food and drink expos taking place in November in the Borders and Dumfries & Galloway

Mr McAuley said: “We know that people are desperate to reconnect with their friends and families in beautiful and safe rural spaces without crowds. The South can offer this and we must offer remarkable experiences – literally experiences that make people want to share them on social media.”

Representatives from VisitScotland, Scotland Food & Drink, the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere, the Southern Uplands Partnership and The South of Scotland Enterprise also spoke at the event, alongside a number of local businesses including Beirhope Alpacas from Kelso.

Concluding the event, Rob Dickson, Director of Industry and Destination Development at VisitScotland, acknowledged the tough times that local businesses had been through but added: “Destinations like the South of Scotland that offer wide open spaces, fresh air and authentic outdoor experiences are becoming increasingly popular to a wider range of year-round visitors. There is a real opportunity for the tourism industry in the South of Scotland to build on this strong foundation for a recovery and continue to develop as a must-visit destination.”