A Beauly holiday park owner believes a new North Coast 500 (NC500) initiative can ensure people “won’t ruin the beauty they travel all this way to see”.
Alan Hogan of Beauly Holiday Park believes educating visitors to the north can protect local communities.
The marketing firm behind the 516-mile route, North Coast 500 Ltd, has created a new visitor pledge.
It wants tourists to respect the environment, support and engage with local communities and promote responsible tourism.
The new pledge also highlights better waste disposal and adhering to rural speed limits following an increased number of offences.
More than 250 people have already signed the pledge.
Sustained growth for Highland route
From Mr Hogan’s point of view, he said for every pound someone spends at his business they will spend another in Beauly.
Having lived in the Highlands all of his life, he sees many benefits to the NC500.
Mr Hogan, whose holiday park has 85 pitches, said: “I’m always keen to see it grow, but in a sustained manner.
“Locals aren’t worried about visitors, but they care when visitors don’t and aren’t respectful to the area.
“The vast majority of people will listen because they care about the beauty they’ve come to see.
“A certain percentage won’t and it’s a shame because you risk being tarred with the same brush as them.
“What I want is for visitors to take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints and kill nothing but time.”
North Coast 500 Ltd writes letter to Highland councillors over pledge
North Coast 500 Ltd chair David Hughes believes the pledge can help to protect the region for future generations.
He said: “The North Coast 500 is an iconic route that showcases the very best of Scotland’s natural beauty, but with that privilege comes responsibility.
“The visitor pledge is our way of ensuring that everyone who visits this unique region understands their role in protecting it for now and for future generations.”
Mr Hughes has also written a letter to Highland Council asking for its support on the new initiative.
In his letter to councillors, he said: “Contrary to popular belief, the NC500 was not dreamt up by a collection of businesses.
“The aim being to encourage more visitors to travel north of the Inverness bottleneck, boosting local economies in the process.
“It has stimulated local economies and done a great deal of good, but it is also associated with some well-publicised problems.
“Many centred on campervans and the behaviour of a small minority of ‘wild campers’.
“These problems are not unique to the north Highlands but the burden they place on the environment and on residents in small, fragile communities in our area can be
significant.
“We are attempting to modify visitor behaviour with this new pledge initiative.”
Conversation