The Inner Forth has a lot to offer as a tourism destination. A unique landscape, a rich natural and historic heritage, active transport networks and public transport hubs that put it in a perfect place to be part of the sustainable tourism boom. According to recent research, many tourists are now looking for more authentic, local experiences, more sustainable ways to travel, and a sense of discovering hidden gems. The Inner Forth ticks all those boxes.
Images by Doug Shapley Photography.
Using the dual framing of sustainable tourism and making the most of landscape and heritage assets, the Inner Forth Futures partnership is interested in exploring how businesses, organisations and local communities could make the most of the Inner Forth’s assets to develop a more integrated approach to tourism for and across the whole area. At the Building New Bridges Conference (2019), we posed three questions to delegates:
1. How can we encourage and support visitors to explore beyond honeypot sites?
2. What are the offer gaps and heritage tourism opportunities?
3. How can we increase the sustainability of tourism around the Inner Forth?
The Inner Forth Futures partnership aims to seek opportunities to take foward findings from the conference and encourages other stakeholders to explore how the report can help support sustainable heritage tourism around the Inner Forth as part of a green recovery from Covid-19.
Building New Bridges was a free day-long conference that took place in November 2019, facilitated by the Inner Forth Futures partnership (IFF), aimed at exploring how businesses, organisations and local communities could make the most of the Inner Forth’s diverse heritage assets to develop a more integrated approach to tourism across the whole area. With Visit Scotland’s 2020 Year of Coast and Waters on the horizon, this was an opportune time to take stock and look forward.
Fifty-five delegates attended the conference with forty organisations or groups represented from local tourism businesses, projects and tourism focused organisations. Speakers included:
Neil Christiston - VisitScotland Regional Director
Jenni Steele - VisitScotland Film & Creative Industries Manager
Donald McKenzie - Dunfermline & West Fife Tourism Association Chair
The day featured a panel discussion with representatives from Visit Scotland, Discover Clackmannanshire, Stirling Council, Visit Falkirk and Dunfermline & West Fife Tourism Association. Short discovery talks highlighted six accessibility and exploration projects from around the Inner Forth. Short workshops and a site visit allowed delegates to pick up new tips and insight from the facilitators plus share their own experiences. Download the conference report to access the findings.
