A north tourism campaign has been awarded £40,000 from VisitScotland’s growth fund.
West Coast Waters brings together 22 industry groups.
The campaign is aimed at enticing visitors to the west coast and surrounding islands in next year to get on – or in – the water.
This follows research in 2018 which identified 300 hubs across the west coast as locations where visitors can experience marine tourism.
Using the Year of Coasts and Waters 2020 as a platform, the 12 month campaign will work with social media influencers and use digital marketing to raise awareness of the breadth and scale of opportunities available across the west coast of Scotland for adventure seekers and curious travellers from the UK.
Influencer activity will begin this weekend with travel blogger ‘Adventures Around Scotland’ going on a week-long tour of Wester Ross, Skye, Harris and Lewis, and ‘Travels with a Kilt’ exploring Lochaber, Skye, the Uists, Barra and Oban.
The campaign will focus on boat trips exploring the wildlife, natural wonders, uninhabited islands, remote attractions and stunning scenery of the west coast; island hopping with CalMac and other ferry and boat operator services; trails of discovery including snorkelling, sea kayaking, seafood, whisky, whales and dolphins; wild swimming, surfing and paddle sports.
Carron Tobin, West Coast Waters Coordinator and Campaign Project Manager, said: “West Coast Waters is hugely exciting with collaboration at a scale never experienced before. The research undertaken in 2018 revealed not just the individual opportunities in each destination but the extent of the opportunity by working together. This campaign is the evidence of this becoming reality.”