The chief executive of Visit Moray Speyside has outlined her aims for the organisation, including helping accelerate the recent influx of visitors to the area in the coming years.
Gemma Cruickshank says the aim is to grow local tourism to 1 million visitors and £200 million of economic impact per year by 2027 – up from the latest figures of 877,000 and £187m respectively.
Visit Moray Speyside is the Destination Marketing Organisation and tourism Business Improvement District company (one of just three of the latter currently operational in Scotland) for the Moray and Speyside area.
Its members encompass tourism, leisure, and hospitality business members and industry partners across the region – ranging from sole traders running self-catering properties all the way up to large attractions such as whisky distilleries, and golf courses.
The organisation is currently preparing for its renewal ballot in March, a move supported by Moray Council and allowing businesses to vote on the proposal to extend its operations for another five years.
Should the renewal be successful, Visit Moray Speyside’s membership would increase by about 100 from 366 currently. It would also see a move to charging members a percentage of their rateable value rather than a flat fee dependent on business size.
Tourism in Moray Speyside was recently found to be worth a record £187m to the local economy in 2022/23 after seeing visitor numbers leap by around a quarter – and boosted by Visit Moray Speyside’s Your Next Adventure Starts Here national marketing campaign promoting the region as the ultimate destination for Scottish adventure.
Cruickshank outlines recent successful initiatives by the organisation that she says demonstrate its ambition to provide its members with practical business support and advice.
That includes working with Glasgow-based business utilities specialist Eyebright to help its members reduce their bills and improve efficiency, resulting in a total of £20,000 savings across the region.
Visit Moray Speyside has also helped one business obtain a grant to have new eco-friendly windows installed, and another to save £6,000 as it didn’t realise it was below the threshold to pay business rates.
Cruickshank said: “I feel like Visit Moray Speyside has already achieved a lot, and still has much more it can do to help our members really flourish and strengthen the area as a destination.
“One key aspect of this is promoting the region, boosting the local economy, and showcasing Moray as a must-visit destination via domestic and international marketing campaigns, as we seek to attract at least a million visitors a year.
“We are also very keen to support businesses with the likes of workshops, training, and bespoke advice to help them grow and thrive.”
She added that Visit Moray Speyside has a pivotal role in advocating for the industry on key issues, for example the introduction of new short-term licensing legislation, while she stressed that regarding the proposed Visitor Levy, “our role is solely to represent our members and relay their concerns to Moray Council”.
Cruickshank also stated: “We are keen to foster even more meaningful engagement with our members, and a stronger focus on collaboration and innovation to deliver even greater benefits.
“One key focus for the future is a two-year marketing campaign aimed at promoting local businesses and capturing what Moray means to them and why they chose the area. It’s all about connecting the region, and one specific aim is to provide businesses with actionable insights and user-generated content that can be used to strengthen their own marketing efforts.”
VMS continues to work in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders, tourism organisations, community groups and commercial businesses to drive forward tourism development in Moray Speyside.
In summary, Cruickshank said: “We’ve got amazing businesses here in Moray, and there’s so much opportunity both for them, and the broader region. I think it’s really important that we have a thriving area with an even stronger business ecosystem – VMS plays a critical role in the region, and I very much believe it can help it stay ahead of the curve.”
For more information on Visit Moray Speyside, go to https://morayspeyside.com
For more information on The Moray Speyside Tourism Business Improvement District, go to https://morayspeyside.com/tourism
