Opportunity North East (ONE), the partnership seeking to grow and diversify the region’s economy after the oil price slump is giving £795,000 to support the launch of a new tourism body.
Three existing destination marketing organisations – VisitAberdeen, Visit Royal Deeside and Banffshire Coast – are being merged into one.
From next month, VisitAberdeenshire will bring tourism marketing in the area under a single body for the first time in an attempt to increase the number of UK and international visitors.
ONE’s contribution to getting the DMO up and running – alongside funding from Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils – is part of a five-year funding commitment.
If similar sums are poured in by the economic development body in years two to five, it will mean an investment totalling nearly £4million.
The initial £795,000 is the first significant item of spending since ONE was set up late last year, backed by a £25million donation from Sir Ian Wood’s charitable foundation.
Tourism is one of the industries ONE’s leadership team has identified as key to helping the region recover from its current plight.
Colin Crosby, the group’s tourism sector lead, said: “There is an enormous opportunity to grow the tourism industry in the region as part of wider economic diversification activity.
“We are committed to providing considerable financial support to VisitAberdeenshire to enable it to reach new visitors, work collaboratively with our tourism businesses and grow annual revenues to £500million a year.
“Business tourism is already strong but we have significant natural and cultural assets – from our coastline to the national park and spanning whisky, golf and castles to name but a few aspects – that can be promoted to secure a greater share of Scotland’s leisure tourism market.”
He added: “VisitAberdeenshire will have the right resources to effectively define and promote this multifaceted region to UK and international audiences.”
Steve Harris, who established VisitAberdeen in 2012 and will become chief executive of VisitAberdeenshire in April, said: “ONE and our other funders are giving tourism in the north-east a wonderful opportunity to be part of a crucial economic diversification programme in the region.
“VisitAberdeenshire has the chance to make a real difference to the future shape of the economy.
“ONE’s funding will enable us to properly define in marketing terms what the region offers to visitors and to work much more closely with our tourism businesses to achieve growth by increasing visitor numbers from the UK, Scandinavia, mainland Europe and key markets such as North America and Asia.”
The region’s tourism chiefs have a hard job ahead of them – new figures from professional services giant PwC yesterday showed occupancy rates at Aberdeen hotels slumped to 66% last year, the worst in the UK, as lower oil prices hit the local market hard.