TOURISM & CONTENT WORKSHOP
When: 10:00-1:30pm, January 25, 2006.
What: Aggregating and creating compelling tourism content to attract and increase tourism stay and spend.
Where: Holiday Inn Express, Inverness
Synopsis: The Highlands & Islands attracted more than 3 million visitors last year, or 6 visitors for every one of its half million inhabitants. With the average tourist taking approximately a week to sample the region's delights, the billion pound Highlands & Islands tourist trade supports 20,000 jobs. According to the University of Edinburgh, an increase in the average visitor stay by one day would reap an estimated £286 million for the region.
At the same time, tourism has become extremely competitive and globalised, with many new regions and countries trying to get their share of the business. From the Da Vinci Code to the Lord of the Rings, from Route 66 to El Camino De Santiago, there is an increasing range of eclectic attractions beckoning the tourism dollar. Hence, aimhi is co-ordinating an ESF/Skillsco and Highlands & Islands Enterprise funded workshop series on the role of creative content in successful tourism projects. A tourism official and a designer will take us behind the scenes to look at processes common in the tourism and creative content sectors. With this new understanding of how the two parts function, we will split into breakout groups to explore fresh and exciting ways of aggregating and creating the ultimate tourist experience. Key points flagged up in this workshop will be further developed and the results disseminated later this year. The workshop will wrap up with a networking lunch sponsored by the EU funded project Integrate to Innovate.
