Ambitious plans have been unveiled to boost tourism in Fife and significantly increase the industry’s value to the economy over the next 10 years.
The Fife Tourism Partnership, with Fife Council and local tourist associations, has set itself targets to achieve stronger economic and employment growth in the sector.
One of the headline goals is to increase the value of tourism in Fife from £565 million to £836 million by working with regional partners to take advantage of opportunities to promote what Fife has to offer.
The partnership also wants to increase the number of full-time equivalent jobs from 11,500 to 13,000 by 2029 and also raise the value of events in Fife from £18 million to £20 million in the same period.
It will be underpinned by Fife’s desire to be one of the strongest “digital destinations” in Scotland, with a target of one million page views on the WelcometoFife.com website also being set.
Moira Henderson, chairwoman of the Fife Tourism Partnership, said: “Our new Fife Tourism and Events Strategy takes advantage of new opportunities and will see a programme of digital projects commence across Fife to help attract fresh audiences.
“There is no doubt that Fife needs to embrace the digital era right across its interaction with visitors, from when they are looking and planning their holiday, to when they have been and are sharing their stories about Fife with family and friends.
“We’ll also engage with partners across the tourism sector to make tourism a career of choice for ambitious young people, who are the future of the region.”
Successes since the last strategy was published in 2014, include the launch of the five-star attraction Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries, confirmation of the Forth Bridge’s World Heritage status and the official opening of the Queensferry Crossing.
The digital focus over the coming decade will aim to increase the chances for visitors and locals to interact, book and share their experiences online.
Sandra Montador-Stewart, service manager for economy, tourism and town centres at Fife Council, said partners believe that embracing digital technology will be fundamental to unlocking future growth.
“This includes the new augmented reality project and digital tours in Dunfermline – both new and exciting projects that will provide real-time interpretation of heritage sites across Fife for the first time.
“We look forward to working with partners across the region and beyond to continue to build upon Fife’s tourism success story.”
A new marketing campaign for the region is expected to be announced on Friday at the Fife Tourism Conference being held at Fairmont St Andrews.
