The South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) is planning to hold its first conference next month, looking at how the region’s tourism can recover from the pandemic.
The SSDA is the destination management and marketing organisation for Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders and will hold the event on March 15 in Dumfries.
The conference will feature workshops, networking, panel discussions and talks exploring themes such as destination development, sustainability and place branding.
Key speakers and guests will include travel broadcaster Simon Calder; Jane Morrison Ross, chief executive of South of Scotland Enterprise; and Rob Dickson, director of industry and destination development at VisitScotland.
The SSDA recently unveiled research about the region’s potential to be “the new Cornwall – but without the crowds”.
The region has attractions like Cornwall and the Cotswolds but many holidaymakers are unaware of what the South of Scotland has to offer.
Ross McAuley, SSDA chief executive, said: “After such a tough period, it’s exciting to have this opportunity to get back together and build tourism in the region in a way that is sustainable, of benefit to local communities and provides a real, and long-term, boost to the region’s economy.”
Established in May 2020, the SSDA aims to make the South of Scotland a top tourism destination, offer a world-class visitor experience, increase tourism spend in the region to £1 billion by 2030 and create 6,500 new jobs.
Picture by Phil Wilkinson shows Max Macvie with one of the Bierhope Alpacas , a tourism business providing alpaca trekking experiences in the Cheviots near Jedburgh, Scottish Borders.