Highland Council's proposed Visitor Management Plan 2022 for the region is agreed by members of the Tourism Committee

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The Highland Council’s Tourism Committee today agreed a proposed Visitor Management Plan for 2022 to support the growth in visitors to the Highlands.

Councillor Gordon Adam, the committee chairman, said: “Members are supportive of the delivery of the council’s draft Visitor Management Plan 2022 and the roll out of the projects across the region.

“Tourism is vital to the economic recovery of the Highlands. Tourism related jobs can represent up to 43 per cent of the workforce in some areas across Highland and it is really important that we continue to strive to improve infrastructure and how we manage the growth in visitor numbers in Highland communities.

"Significant data gathering has been collated throughout the busy 2021 season, the useful information has been carefully considered by members and officers in order to learn from last year and to prioritise the key improvements for the 2022 Visitor Management Plan.”

To assist in defining the range of activities and the financial allocations that might be required for the visitor management plan 2021, a workshop involving both members and relevant officers was held on November 5.

This workshop allowed members to consider the feedback and evidence gathered and give their views on what the priorities might be for a 2022 Visitor Management Plan.

The visitor management planning officer group subsequently met and considered the feedback and have produced a draft plan.

The council will work with other agencies involved in tourism and visitor management to deliver the plan. A number of actions included in the plan which councillors have approved are:

• £240,000 on road management and improvements;

• £160,000 investment in parking management;

• £350,000 for seasonal access rangers;

• £190,000 spend on public toilets;

• £220,000 on waste management;

• £55,000 improved provision for motorhomes and waste disposal points;

• £15,000 Communications;

• £160,000 Joint initiative with Cairngorms National Park Authority to improve visitor management in Glenmore corridor (£100,000), including public toilet provision (£60,000).

Councillors also welcomed the wide range of additional projects across the region that are under way or soon to start and which will complement the activities in the plan.

These are expected to be ready by spring / summer 2022 and include:

• Wick public toilets;

• Helmsdale public toilets;

• Brora motorhome waste disposal and signage;

• Dornoch visitor parking;

• Balintore waste disposal unit;

• Tain Rose Garden public toilet improvements;

• Cromarty motorhome site and facilities;

• Kinlochewe waste disposal unit;

• North Kessock motorhome parking and waste disposal unit;

• Inverness motorhome waste disposal unit;

• Foyers public toilets;

• Fort Augustus waste disposal unit;

• Uig Fairy Glen parking;

• Staffin Kilt Rock parking extension;

• Dunvegan Coral Beach parking;

• Elgol toilets parking and waste disposal unit;

• Isle of Eigg public toilets;

• Ardnamurchan Point parking and visitor facilities;

• Glen Nevis parking improvements;

• Duntelchaig & Dalcrag off-road parking barriers;

• Strathy off-road parking barriers;

• Tougal Beach access;

• Gruinard Beach access;

• Ceannabeinne Beach access;

• Oldshoremore Beach access;

• Gairloch Beach access.

In tandem with the Visitor Management Plan, the council is developing a Tourism Infrastructure Plan which aims to identify the longer-term tourism infrastructure requirements of the region.

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