A series of workshop-based projects are helping ten local areas across the North Highlands pioneer a community-first visitor-second approach to tourism.

Following the success of the pilot, the organisers are keen to hear from other communities across the North Highlands who want to use this tailored approach to make tourism work better for them. The Press Pause projects, run by SCOTO CIC and supported and funded by NHI with additional grant support from Highland Council’s Community Regeneration Fund via Wester Ross Biosphere, are bringing together communities to identify issues and opportunities and support the creation of a plan to take back control of tourism locally.

Genevieve Duhigg, Chair of NHI, said: “Drawing these groups together has been hugely positive and a way of allowing communities to develop and manage tourism in their areas in a way that works for them. Some of the issues identified were common to many regions: from challenges around staffing and motorhomes to opportunities for increased accommodation provision and community-controlled marketing and information provision that would allow local people to choose and control how the area was promoted.”

Read the full press release here >