Arran is miles ahead in the UK in promoting itself as a top class tourist destination, island businesses have been told.
But there was still a lack of knowledge about the island, particularly on the nearby mainland, so there was still much to be done, former Visit Arran chairman Alistair Dobson told members at an open meeting earlier this month in Brodick Castle Restaurant.
He said: ‘We have done a colossal amount of work on a very, very tight budget over the last year to 18 months and Arran is punching well above its weight.
‘But there are thousands of people on the nearby mainland who have never been to Arran, and most people fly over Arran to land at Prestwick and we need to get them on Arran, not just fly over it.
‘I have seen loads of other holidays destinations and none with the opportunities that Arran has.’
He spoke of a need to get islanders on board.
‘Our biggest strength is the community and giving the tourist a world-class experience,’ he said.
‘If you don’t have a community the tourist does not have an emotional connection.’
Maureen McKenna, local co-ordinator, VisitArran, spoke about its 2008 spring campaign to attract visitors during quieter periods, with participating businesses offering ‘value added’ breaks so they can sample the best of Arran: for example, food and drink, outdoor activities, romance and golf.
Generally, couples or groups without children living within two to three hours of the Isle of Arran who were free to travel midweek were being targeted.
She said a campaign to bring journalists to the island had been the most successful way of getting the message across, with 25 pages of features written and more to be published.
Issues brought up at workshops during the meeting included challenging the British Tourist Authority’s quality assurance scheme, the decreasing number of ‘beds’ at the cheaper end of the market due to the conversion of hotels into housing, first impressions on leaving the ferry at Brodick, and a need to define the ‘Arran experience’ now in order to establish a baseline from which to work.
The new chairman of Visit Arran is Robert Waine of the Kinloch Hotel, Blackwaterfoot.
