Bosses hope that the shake-up will attract more members, and in turn funding for Aviemore and the Cairngorms Destination Management Organisation (ACDM) Ltd, which was officially launched amidst a fanfare of publicity in September, 2006.

Among the ambitious objectives set out by ACDM Ltd in their tourism development plan launched at the time were the following:

• To increase the value of tourism in the area by 60 per cent by 2015 – 10 per cent over the national projected rise, from £128 million to £204.6 million.
• Grow year-round employment in tourism in Badenoch and Strathspey from 4,000 at present to 4,500 by 2010.
• Increase the number of overnight stays by five per cent per annum to 458,850 by 2010 and the average yield per capita spend by at least three per cent per visitor.

But despite some successes, particularly in generating good media publicity for the area and gaining a six-figure undisclosed sum from the Carnegie UK Trust to support local communities, the scheme has yet to really take off as first envisaged.

Progress has been hampered because of a lack of local businesses signing up, and funding issues after Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort, the main private-sector funders, pulled out and plans for the country's first tourism levy were met with stiff opposition by the local industry.

Now ACDM Ltd is attempting to seize back the initiative by slashing membership fees and changing its internal structure, including opening up the boardroom for the first time to elected directors.

A new "sell and tell" website, www.visitaviemore.com, is also being launched today (Wednesday) that will make it easier than ever for visitors to get information on Badenoch and Strathspey, and crucially to make accommodation bookings.

ACDM Ltd boss Alan Rankin, who joined the organisation in June, 2007, said they were making "radical" changes to the way in which they now conduct their business.

He said: "This was an opportunity for the organisation to review how it was engaging with local businesses, and the principle now is to get everyone on board, which is why we are offering a free listing to tourism businesses.

"Operators may have felt that there was a barrier to getting in, whether that was cost or a feeling that ACDM Ltd was Aviemore-orientated; we have blown that away.

"We have heavily reduced subscriptions, and are clearly marketing Badenoch and Strathspey."

He continued: "If we can get more people into the tent rather than having them outside of the tent, then we can then start to talk about some of the big-ticket items around customer service, funding of tourism growth in the area and some of the innovation that we would love to do around technology."

The new scheme sees membership fees reduced for small and large businesses alike, with a structure based on turnover.

Subscription fees for local B&Bs, for example, have been cut from the previous level of £250 to £85.

Once affiliated to ACDM, a business will now join a product sector group, and from the like-minded businesses, a representative will be put forward to sit on the board, which has until now comprised just six appointed members who have met in private – one of the main bones of contention.

Mr Rankin added: "We have created a clear route for businesses to get involved at a level that suits them in marketing terms, and if they wish, right the way up to sitting on the board.

"In conjunction with the new membership launch, ACDM has developed a new website that has been designed around getting customer enquiries to businesses as quickly as possible.

"The DMO is all about creating demand for businesses across the Badenoch and Strathspey area and getting customer enquiries moved on so that members can convert the enquiry into business.

"It's our job to promote awareness of the area, present what the area has to offer and then get the consumer quickly to the business they are interested in."

There will be a no-frills direct route to local businesses via the website; one of the complaints levelled at visitscotland in the past was that bookings were too involved. No commission will be taken by ACDM Ltd either.

Mr Hamish Swan, chairman of ACDM, said: "The new membership arrangements are really very exciting, and are based on what we have heard from local businesses and what we have learned from successful overseas destination management organisations.

"We hope that local businesses get fully behind the DMO and support the membership and marketing initiatives on what is a groundbreaking website."

The 'sell and tell' website will let holiday-makers tell potential visitors about their experiences in the area through the use of blogs, images and videos, and there will be alink-up with the hugely popular website, Trip Adviser.

Ms Jane Hope, chief executive of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, welcomed the shake-up and said it would make it easier for visitors and local businesses to find information.

Mr Duncan MacKellar, chairman of the Cairngorms Chamber of Commerce, said: "We fully suport the principles of DMOs, and it is encouraging that the ACDM are introducing new and fresh ideas to market our tourism industry."

ACDM Ltd is a not-for-profit organisation which is currently funded 60 per cent by the public purse, including the national park authority, Highlands and Island Enterprise, Highland Council and Visitscotland, and 40 per cent by members.

Its aim is to promote Badenoch and Strathspey – which is visited at this time by around 1.2 million people each year – on the world stage. There are currently believed to be around 350 front-line tourism businesses in the area.

A watered-down tourism levy scheme, whereby holiday-makers to the strath could make voluntary financial contributions, still remains on the back burner. Mr Rankin said: "It is something that we want to revisit with the business communities and the national park."

Whilst destination management organisations are commonplace on the Continent and in North America, they had not previously been tried in the UK, where tourism was traditionally public sector-led.

musgrove_g@spp-group.com

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---