THE ‘Outdoor Capital of the UK’, which is the destination management organisation (DMO) for Lochaber and Fort William, is delighted with the positive feedback they received from ten international adventure travel operators who visited the area early last month.
Says a spokesperson: “This was one of many opportunities ‘Outdoor Capital’ achieved from their involvement in last month’s Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) World Summit in Aviemore.
“More than 500 adventure tourism delegates, including the ‘Outdoor Capital’ team, from 54 countries attended the four day conference which took place at the Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort at the beginning of October.
“The annual summit is expected to have had huge knock on effects for adventure tourism in Scotland, a growing industry currently worth £160 million to the Scottish economy.
“The DMO organised a three-day, pre-summit, action packed itinerary for the adventure travel operators who had travelled from as far as Ecuador, USA, Canada, Namibia and Greenland for the summit.
“The trip to Fort William and Lochaber took the delegates, hiking, canyoning, sea kayaking, mountain biking and ice climbing.
“The focus was to promote the exceptional quality and choice of outdoor activities and the magnificent scenery unique to the area.
“Delegates were also treated to an evening of Scottish music and some of the Highland’s finest whiskies in Glencoe and some of the freshest seafood during a night out in Fort William.
“Feedback from the delegates was very positive and many were left amazed by what Fort William and Lochaber as a quality adventure tourism destination has to offer.”
One of the delegates, Keith Sproule, from WWF Namibia, said: “Coming to this part of the pre-summit adventure has really exposed me to the highlights of the Fort William and Lochaber area. Terrific guiding, terrific instruction and excellent interpretation… the trip will be memorable for quite a while. A fantastic three days.”
Thanks to match funding from VisitScotland’s Growth Fund, ‘Outdoor Capital’ was also able to film the trip.
The video, named Iconic Adventures in the Outdoor Capital, was filmed and edited by Stu Thomson, of MTB Cut.
It has already had over 3,000 hits online and was a hit with audiences during its screening at the summit.
The ‘Outdoor Capital’, which aims to promote Fort William and Lochaber as the ‘best place’ in the UK for everyone to enjoy the outdoors, has praised the summit and the international exposure and networking opportunities that were available.
Teresa de Billot, project officer for Outdoor Capital, said: “The summit was a great opportunity to show what the Highlands has to offer and we were glad to have had the opportunity to be part of it. The presentations on destination marketing and social media were outstanding. We particularly benefited from networking with other DMOs where we could discuss common issues and solutions which we hope to progress in the near future.”
Formed in 2003, the ‘Outdoor Capital of the UK’ is a community company with the vision to establish and maintain Fort William and Lochaber as the UK’s premier destination for outdoor pursuits and adventure tourism in an exceptional natural environment. For more information, please visit www.outdoorcapital.co.uk.
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Pauline Clifford
Pure Shores PR
+ 44 (0) 1631 569 651
+ 44 (0 7791573247
pauline@pureshorespr.co.uk
www.pureshorespr.co.uk
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Contact: Pauline Clifford (was Foster)
Phone: 01631 569 651
Email: pauline@pureshorespr.co.uk
Website: http://www.outdoorcapital.co.uk
