Statement of NatureScot's approach and contribution to Tourism

Introduction

Vision

1. NatureScot's (Scottish Natural Heritage’s) vision is for all visitors to have the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate Scotland’s nature as part of a high quality experience.  This statement outlines NatureScot’s role and ambitions in support of Scottish tourism, one of the nation’s most important economic sectors.  It focuses on where and how we can add value by aligning our work with the tourism industry, building on our wider efforts to maintain the natural assets that underpin the sector, and sets out our priorities and the actions required to deliver them.

2. NatureScot last set out its role and support for the industry in 2008 in a joint NatureScot and VisitScotland Board paper (see Annex 2).  The industry has since published Tourism Scotland 2020 (2012), with a new strategy due to be published in October 2019.

Contents

Background

How our tourism work aligns with corporate and government priorities

Our added value – strengthening nature and landscape’s contribution to tourism

Engagement with stakeholders and partnership working

Our priorities

Annex 1: Scottish Tourism

Annex 2: Summary of 2008 Board paper

Annex 3: Key Stakeholder Engagement

Annex 4: Explore for a Day

Background

3. Scotland’s nature and landscape is the main motivation for tourist visits, and critical asset for the £4.4 billion industry.  Our tourism work is a key way to demonstrate how nature and landscape contribute to Scotland’s prosperity, in support of its positioning as a ‘green’ and competitive destination. It offers us the opportunity to increase our profile, with Scottish Government and business by making stronger connections between nature, landscape and the economy, and with the rural communities that welcome and host visitors.

4. We currently undertake a range of activities to support tourism including:

• developing nature-based tourism demonstration projects through partnership working with industry and public sector stakeholders (e.g. Wild about Argyll – a capacity building and skills development project)
• building knowledge and skills in the tourism industry (through natural heritage familiarisation visits and workshops);
• providing information for visitors (for example Explore for a day leaflets, see Annex 4) and promoting Scotland’s outdoor access rights;
• managing our National Nature Reserves as key tourism assets and promoting the wider suite;
• developing and promoting national recreation infrastructure including the National Walking and Cycling Network and Scotland’s Great Trails, and delivering the Natural and Cultural Heritage Fund; and
• promoting sustainable management and enjoyment of the natural heritage through our wider advisory work on landscape, recreation & access, biodiversity and geodiversity.

5. Our direct investment is very modest, driven by one full time Tourism Officer (D Grade) in support of Operations staff.

How our tourism work aligns with corporate and government priorities

6. Tourism is recognised by Scottish Government as one of six growth sectors (1) (in which Scotland has been identified as having a distinct comparative advantage), and is a vital contributor to the economy of more rural regions.  Provision of necessary visitor infrastructure is recognised in Scotland’s Third National Planning Framework and Scottish Planning Policy, alongside the need to safeguard natural and cultural assets and facilitate their sustainable use.  The 2012 national strategy Tourism Scotland 2020, aspires to grow the sector by £1 billion in real terms by 2020, with Scotland ‘a destination of first choice for a high quality…and memorable experience’.

7. Our tourism work supports these.  With a focus on connecting people with nature, our tourism work contributes to Corporate Plan Outcome 1 (More people across Scotland are enjoying and benefiting from nature), and Outcome 3 (More investment in Scotland’s natural capital and its management to improve prosperity and wellbeing).

Our added value - strengthening nature and landscape's contribution to tourism

8. NatureScot has demonstrated that we can play a leading role in developing and supporting nature based tourism to generate maximum economic impact, with relatively modest investment.  Our work in the Outer Hebrides, for example, helped to develop a tourist sector where nature and landscape are recognised as critical assets, contributing significantly to a sector worth over £50 million each year.  We will continue to target our engagement and support where we can best add value, seizing new opportunities.  

• The next, Year of Coasts and Waters 2020, is an opportunity to highlight and develop the very significant economic benefits arising from our high quality freshwater, coastal and marine landscapes and wildlife, and raise understanding as part of the visitor experience.
• Our flagship National Nature Reserves attract over a million visitors every year.  These protected areas, alongside broader initiatives such as the Wester Ross and Galloway Biospheres and World Heritage Sites, should be part of delivering destinations of excellence.
• Scotland’s progressive access legislation supports the growing demand for adventure tourism.  90 million trips are already made on the National Walking Cycling Network each year, generating £85 million of expenditure in local economies, with the Scotland Great Trails brand of 27 long distance routes covering much of Scotland.
• Increasing evidence of high and damaging tourism pressure (for example in Skye and around the North Coast 500), highlight the need for a renewed focus on sustainable tourism, and encouraging the industry to invest in the natural asset they depend on, building on our delivery of the £5.5m ERDF Natural and Cultural Heritage Fund and involvement with the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund.
• The various City, Region and Island Deals recognise tourism’s economic potential and we can add value to their delivery of nature based tourism.

Engagement with stakeholders and partnership working

9. Working in partnership is essential to delivering our tourism work.  We have strong and close working relationships with the key national tourism bodies including VisitScotland and the industry-led Scottish Tourism Alliance, and with a number of destination management organisations and sector interests.  Our delivery of the ERDF Natural and Cultural Heritage fund across the Highlands and Islands will strengthen these links.     

10. We will continue to build relationships with public sector organisations and the tourism industry. Annex 3 shows current stakeholders and our intended levels of engagement.

Our priorities

11. To support our vision for all visitors to have the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate Scotland’s nature as part of a high quality experience, we will be focusing our work on four cross-cutting themes: visitors, business, sustainability and communications.

    a) Visitors   

• Promote key natural assets as essential tourism destinations (including the National Walking and Cycling Network, Scotland’s Great Trails, Biosphere Reserves, National Scenic Areas, National Nature Reserves and World Heritage Sites).
• Promote ways for visitors to enjoy and access nature sustainably.

    b) Business

• Work with the industry and destinations to support nature based tourism development in rural areas.
• Promote the economic benefits of investing in nature and encourage tourism businesses to more actively invest in Scotland’s natural capital.
• Build on our delivery role for the Natural and Cultural Heritage Fund and seek opportunities for new partnerships post ERDF funding.

    c) Sustainability

• Promote environmental sustainability to the tourism industry, particularly in areas of increasing pressure on the natural assets.
• Promote environmental sustainability as part of the upcoming revision of the National Tourism Strategy and future NPF4.

    d) Communications

• Play a leadership role in inspiring visitors and the tourism industry about Scotland’s nature, access rights and how to enjoy nature responsibly.
• Work with VisitScotland to provide relevant content to their and other partners’ communication platforms.
• Promote our tourism work more widely with Scottish Government.
• Raise the profile of our tourism work internally within NatureScot.

Published: April 2019

Contact:
Simon Brooks
Landscape Manager

Email: [email protected]

Annex 1: Scottish Tourism

A1.1  The tourism sector is of vital importance to the Scottish economy.  In 2016, Scotland welcomed over 14.3 million overnight visitors and 142 million day visits.  In the same year expenditure by visitors to Scotland was valued at around £9.7 billion.  Employment in the tourism-related industries sector in Scotland was 207,000 in 2016 – accounting for around 8% of employment in Scotland.  Visitors from across Great Britain represent the majority of visitors.  Tourism plays a particular important economic role in Scotland’s rural areas.  In 2016, 14% of jobs in ‘remote rural’ areas were in the tourism sector (in size this is third only to the public sector and agriculture).

A1.2  The national tourism strategy, Tourism Scotland 2020, was launched in June 2012 with an ambition to grow visitor spend by £1bn to 2020.  The strategy was developed to target those markets that offer the greatest growth potential, to collaborate within and across Scotland’s tourism destinations and to develop the authentic memorable experiences today’s visitors seek, delivered to the consistently high quality they expect.

A1.3  Nature-based tourism, including activities based on Scotland’s landscapes and wildlife, makes a very substantial contribution to the tourism sector.  Tourist spending on nature based activities is worth nearly 40% of all tourism spending.  Its value to Scotland’s economy is £1.4 billion per year, supporting 39,000 jobs (FTEs).  Trends show that nature based tourism and specifically ‘soft adventure’ activities are on the rise.

Annex 2: Summary of 2008 NatureScot board paper

A2.1  The direction of NatureScot’s tourism work has been guided in recent years by a joint paper which was discussed by the NatureScot and VisitScotland boards in 2008.  Since then we have successfully delivered many tourism projects, and become a key partner in supporting tourism development in rural areas of Scotland and at a national level.

A2.2  The tourism priorities set out in the 2008 NatureScot board paper included:

• Policy and liaison – mainly through joint working with VisitScotland, the Area Tourism Partnerships and other partners
• Sustainability – through active membership of the Sustainable Tourism Partnership (which ceased to exist when the new tourism strategy was prepared in 2009/10)
• Protected areas – by focussing on National Nature Reserves (NNRs), National Scenic Areas (NSAs), Geoparks, Biosphere reserves and natural World Heritage Sites (both existing and proposed).
• Recreation and access – through partnership working with other organisations in particular with VisitScotland
• Communication –  with specific emphasis on improved provision of information on ‘where to go and what to see’ to the industry (skills development) and the visitors (enhancing quality of experience).

Annex 3: Key Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder	Current level of engagement	Future level of engagement
Scottish Government (SG) Culture, Tourism and Major Events Directorate (Tourism Team)	Providing advice on Ministerial enquiries, strategic development and major projects; tourism funding (lead on ERDF Natural & Cultural Heritage Fund; supporting VisitScotland Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund); marine and forest tourism	Continue established ways of working; prompt occasional senior liaison with SG Tourism Team.
VisitScotland (VS)	Working with VS on strategic and promotional levels (Scottish Outdoor Access Code, National Walking and Cycling Network, Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund). Annual CEO liaison. VS also member of Natural Capital Round Table.	Further strengthen established ways of working and opportunities to promote our natural assets.
Scottish Tourism Alliance	Main link to the tourism industry and driver behind Tourism 2020 strategy, which NatureScot support through our work.	Continue established ways of working.
Rural Destination Management Organisations	Selective working with and advice on strategic development and demonstration projects, supporting local economies.	Continue active support of priority regional projects (ensuring a national spread)
Tourism Interest Groups (destination and activities).	Direct support of key groups and participation in working groups (eg NC500 Working Group, Wild Scotland and Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland).	Continue to appraise NatureScot’s added value on a case by case basis.
Enterprise Companies	Information exchange and ad hoc joint project working.	Develop relationship and actively seek out more areas of joint working.
Forestry and Land Scotland	Information exchange and ad hoc joint project working.	Develop relationship and actively seek out more areas of joint working.
Historic Environment Scotland	Selective working.	Develop relationship and share site management experience.

Annex 4: Explore for a Day

Our Explore for a Day series promotes natural and cultural heritage attractions in rural Scotland across 14 destinations from Caithness to Galloway. Over 700,000 copies have been distributed over the years, with the publication highly popular with Visitor Centres and businesses as they provide added value to the customers’ experience. We regularly receive enquiries from new areas seeking us to develop an ‘Explore’ leaflet. 

Published: 2019