Tourism and visitor businesses in Forres are being invited to find out how a major initiative aims to provide a sustainable future for tourism development in Moray Speyside.
Moray Speyside Tourism has launched a campaign to introduce a Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) for Moray and Speyside which will provide businesses with an opportunity to shape and direct their own future. The TBID is a new way of investing in Moray’s tourism industry which would result in more investment in the region’s tourism industry, more UK and international marketing of our region, more support for tourism businesses and no reliance on public funding.
Businesses can visit one of the numerous engagement events which are happening at locations throughout Moray in July.
In Forres, two events are taking place on Thursday 18 July in the Town Hall at 2pm and the Ramnee Hotel at 5pm. A full list of venues and booking links can be found at www.morayspeysidetbid.com/engagement.
The events will be an opportunity to find out how the project can benefit tourism businesses and secure the future of Moray Speyside as a world-class tourism destination and will also give business owners the chance to make sure the priorities they think are most important are included in the TBID business plan, which will be voted on by the businesses later this year.
If the vote is successful, a TBID will require all qualifying businesses to pay a levy, which in turn is used to fund the work of the destination marketing organisation.
The free events are open to all tourism businesses in the region but are primarily aimed at tourism operators (including accommodation providers, activity operators, visitor centres and distilleries) who are registered as businesses within the Moray Council area and who have a rateable value of £2000 or more.
Since 2014, Moray Speyside Tourism, the region’s destination marketing organisation, has promoted the region to visitors, supported local tourism businesses and represented the region’s tourism industry at national and international level. During this time the annual value of tourism to the Moray Speyside economy has grown by record levels and now stands at £130 million per year.
