Angus has had to “plead its case” as an important tourist destination, while “existing honeypots” are being catered for, it has emerged.
A meeting of Angus Council’s infrastructure services committee in Forfar heard how officers had only six weeks to respond to a consultation by tourism agency VisitScotland.
Its draft national tourism plan will inform nationwide “visitor economy” strategies until 2020 and funding thereof but the council and its elected members have expressed concern at a lack of national interest in what Angus can provide.
Chief executive Richard Stiff’s response to the body states: “Angus Council is… disappointed that to date it has not been engaged by the consultants to input to the draft strategy… it does not adequately reflect the aspirations of the council, nor its partners, to grow the visitor economy.”
Tables intended to reflect support for “growth in the visitor economy” present no “aspiration or indeed the east coast of Scotland,” he adds.
Forfar SNP councillor Lynne Devine told elected members: “One-and-a-half months sounds like an incredibly short amount of time when you’re talking about something as important as tourism in Scotland.
“I’m aware the V&A and Dundee City Council can feed into the study but this has not been factored into the consultation. I’m glad officers have pointed out that Angus, and the north-east, hasn’t really been factored into it.”
Consultation failings, which have been highlighted, include the absence of mentions for Dundee Airport, the main A92 coastal route through Angus and the entire East Coast rail line.
Arbroath independent councillor Bob Spink said: “I’m struck by the fact that I’ve struggled to find many mentions of Angus.”
Mr Spink also found it hard to believe Dundee Airport had been omitted, as was the “noteworthy” announcement by Virgin Airlines to run a plane service from Aberdeen.
“We must plead our case as one of the potentially great tourist places in Scotland and Angus has so much to offer,” he added.
Committee convener Mairi Evans said VisitScotland officers had been told to “go back to the drawing board” at a recent meeting of Cosla.
Kirriemuir Conservative councillor Ronnie Proctor said there are many ways in which Angus could be made more prominent to tourists.
For example, the A94 through the Strathmore valley “needs to be highlighted” as much as the A92 coastal road as a gateway into towns and glens with as much heritage as any other location in Scotland.
Other failings noted in Mr Stiff’s response were the “where to stay” section, in which “the focus is on city centre locations” and “the east coast of Scotland is not represented north of St Andrews.”
The development of the Carnoustie Country brand is mentioned in the consultation but not the proposal for a five-star hotel and golf course at Kingennie.
Development opportunity for the former Sunnyside Hospital is touted in the response, with “majestic properties of scale”. Scope for developing hotel accommodation is highlighted in Arbroath, Forfar and Brechin.
Mr Stiff’s report also adds that there is scope to build on “what to do and see” in Angus beyond golf, such as improving the path network and making package experiences, from watching dolphins on the coast, to scaling the Glens.
There are also opportunities for drawing on the county’s transport heritage, such as Strathmore Vintage Vehicle Club, the Caledonian Railway and Montrose Air Station.
An east coast approach could also be adopted with the marques of Angus food production, such as Forfar bridies, Arbroath smokies, Angus soft fruits, Strathmore Water, Glencadam whisky and a food trail linking them together.