ARGYLL & THE ISLES TOURISM SUMMIT 2015

'to see ourselves as others see us...'

The fourth Argyll & The Isles Tourism Summit takes place on 17 March 2015 at the stunning new Lochs & Glens Ardgartan Hotel on the banks of Loch Long, with generous support from VisitScotland.

We will be exploring how this wonderful region is marketed and promoted not just by individual businesses, local marketing groups and AITC but the many operators who bring visitors to our doorsteps. Visitscotland will present recently published insights into rapidly changing visitor behaviours, helping us understand what different visitors are seeking and what this could mean for businesses in Argyll & the Isles. Calmac will explore the exciting dynamics brought about by this 'pace of change' and how we could appeal to a younger audience. The interactive summit programme features various breakout and workshop sessions with key speakers including Gordon Watson, the newly appointed CEO at Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, Neil Wells of Lochs & Glens, Robert Kidd of McInlay Kidd, Stef Lauer of Wilderness Scotland and Marc Crothal CEO of the Scottish Tourism Alliance. Delegates will learn about the Argyll Ambassadors initiative, the new routeplanner software being developed by AITC, the Argyll & the Isles Tourism Barometer and also an overview of AITC's development agent activity which is taking place across the region.

To celebrate and inspire in the Year of Food & Drink, a tasty locally sourced lunch is being provided by Food from Argyll.

PRE-SUMMIT DINNER

Hosted by our partners the HIT Oyster Club, a pre-summit six course tasting dinner takes place the night before at the Loch Fyne Spa Hotel - book seperately http://www.hitscotland.co.uk/events/2015/the-hit-oyster-club/with bus transport to the summit and back to Inveraray on the 17th March.

FIELD TRIP

There are also plans for a field trip to the East of Argyll around Helensburgh, Loch Lomond and Loch Long on 16 March to see exciting new developments that could change the face of tourism in this area. More to follow on the news tab of www.exploreargyll.co.uk.

Don't miss this key event in 2015 for everyone engaged in tourism in Argyll & The Isles!