Local business owner Melanie Allen has been elected as the new Chair of Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere’s Partnership Board. Melanie brings more than two decades of experience in strategy, governance and stakeholder engagement having worked in private and third sector organisations in addition to running her own business, Nithbank Country Estate at Thornhill. …
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Ten innovative responsible tourism projects across the country have been made possible as part of the Scottish Government’s £25 million tourism recovery programme to support the sector’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The projects, which collectively received over £500k in funding, were revealed today by Scottish Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) and Highlands and…
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The Galloway Glens Scheme is five-years of activity in the Ken/Dee Valley, supporting a range of projects that ‘connect people to their heritage’ while boosting the local economy and supporting sustainable communities. The Scheme is an initiative of the Council’s Environment Team, overseen by a Partnership Board, and will oversee investment of more than £5million…
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VISITSCOTLAND has launched a new campaign encouraging people across Scotland to experience a Great Day Out across the country this winter. Participating businesses are benefitting from the Days Out Incentive Fund launched by the Scottish Government and administred by VisitScotland. The Great Days Out in Scotland campaign – running from now until February 18, 2022…
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Last year, the pandemic prevented an industry conference, but Scotland’s Tourism Industry Conference is back, with promises of bigger and bolder than ever before. Featuring a stellar line-up of inspirational and thought-provoking speakers, and a packed programme of relevant and engaging content, the event is designed to support Scotland’s attractions sector and entire tourism industry…
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A luxury log cabin with hot tub in the South of Scotland has won Best Green Holiday Home from the European Holiday Home Awards. Reiver’s Hideaway, located in Melrose, is new this year to the cottage offering from Eildon Melrose Holiday Cottages and Log Cabins, and a second log cabin is already scheduled for construction…
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The South of Scotland Enterprise has launched its first ever engagement tour of the South of Scotland, visiting 24 villages and towns across the region. The first meeting was held today, 8 November, in Dumfries and further meetings are running until March 2022. There are also two virtual events for those unable to attend in-person.…
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The Station House Cookery School has been awarded a prestigious kitemark of quality and accreditation from leading regulatory body, the Independent Cookery School Association (ICSA). The school, based in the picturesque fishing town of Kirkcudbright, in Dumfries and Galloway runs a variety of culinary courses to train both novice cooks and aspiring chefs in a…
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£240K FUNDING BOOST FOR THE SOUTH The SSDA are delighted to be awarded funding from VisitScotland’s Destination and Sector Marketing Fund and the Destination Leadership Recovery fund. We will be implementing the awards until March, working with businesses across the South of Scotland on marketing and product development activities. Local destination groups also recently awarded…
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The latest survey of Scotland’s visitor attractions has revealed that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to devastate the sector – and it has seen no evidence of a ‘staycation boom’. Less than half of the sector (48.1%) is currently fully open and more than one in ten attractions remain closed. A further 40.9%…
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