Category: Press Release

External view of the Peebles Hydro, a hotel, set with blue sky and green rolling hills. The hotel will be the venue for the South of Scotland THistle Awards 2024.

Peebles Hydro named as venue for the 2024 South of Scotland Thistle Awards as entries open to local businesses

TOURISM and hospitality businesses in Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders are being encouraged to enter the South of Scotland Thistle Awards 2024, back after a brilliantly successful inaugural year to celebrate the leading lights of the region’s burgeoning visitor economy. Awards organisers the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) announced that Peebles Hydro…
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The Thistle Awards are back for 2024, honouring the South of Scotland’s magnificent tourism and hospitality sector

After a hugely successful first year, the South of Scotland’s regional Thistle Awards are back for 2024, showcasing the finest in Scottish tourism and hospitality across the region, with nominations open from 1 March and a dedicated online session on offer to help businesses craft a winning entry. Spearheaded at national level by VisitScotland, in…
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Over 65 million Cycling World Championships viewers tune in to see the South of Scotland at its best

Wellbeing Secretary Mairi McAllan and Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Mairi Gougeon joined South of Scotland Cycling Partners, as well as Esther Tacke and Warren Sanders of local business Galloway Cycling Holidays, to mark the economic impact of 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in the South of Scotland. Over 65million broadcast…
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NEW TOURISM STRATEGY TO BE LAUNCHED AT “BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER” SOUTH OF SCOTLAND CONFERENCE

Speakers at the 2024 South of Scotland Destination Alliance Conference include clockwise from top left: Richard Lochhead MSP;  Mary Jane Brett, Johnnie Walker Princes Street Experience ; Dr Martin Valenti, Director of Net Zero, SOSE;  Paul Ralph, Partners in Access;  Bruce Fummey, Comedian and Tour Guide; Carron Tobin, Executive Director with SCOTO SSDA Annual Conference…
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Burns is back in town! Dumfries welcomes the bard as he revisits his favourite haunts

Scotland’s National Poet braved the winter storms to revisit some of his favourite Dumfries haunts before Burns Night this Thursday.  His visit marks the start of a new joint campaign to establish Dumfries as The Bard’s Town. The Burns Tourism Partnership aims to celebrate Dumfriesshire’s unparalleled connections to Robert Burns, as the region where the…
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SSDA launches inclusive ‘Basic’ membership for all

  Following the South of Scotland’s remarkable successes in 2023, the SSDA is excited to announce an evolution in its membership proposition for 2024. The SSDA is keen to become the largest, most inclusive, energetic and impactful destination management and marketing organisation in Scotland.  We want our consumer-facing destination brand, ‘Scotland Starts Here’ to be…
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Town Where Auld Lang Syne Was Written Issues Rallying Cry To Be Recognised As The Bard’s True Home

Campaigners in Dumfries call for the town to be recognised as the place where Robert Burns lived, loved, worked and died As revellers link arms around the world to welcome 2024 with a rendition of Auld Lang Syne, a new action group in the South of Scotland has launched a campaign to celebrate Dumfriesshire’s unparalleled…
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Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere named on Rough Guides ‘Best Destinations’ for 2024

The Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere has achieved its second international travel accolade in as many months as Scotland’s UNESCO Trail is named on Rough Guides’ much anticipated list of the ’24 best destinations to visit in 2024’. Globally recognised as world class for people and nature, the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere…
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New Campaign Highlights How The South Of Scotland Dazzles In The Darker Months

The latest Scotland Starts Here campaign features a must-do winter ‘Bucket List’ showcasing the best of the region in the chilly season, including starry picnics and coo spotting.  A new winter ‘Bucket List’ has been created by the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) as part of its ‘Scotland Starts Here’ promotional campaign to highlight…
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Study finds £6 million local economic impact from Cycling World Championships

The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships are estimated to have had a direct economic impact on the Scottish Borders of over £6million, Councillors heard today at a meeting of the Executive Committee. Glentress Forest host venue Glentress Forest, one of Scotland’s most renowned mountain bike locations, was a proud host venue for the Championships which…
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