Promoting the North Highlands

Unlinked, originally uploaded by North Light.

As with any business advertising is an necessary evil, the tourism industry has many firms promising to increase your sales for a slice of your hard earned profits! After nearly four years in the industry I would say that in many cases the only business to increase it's profits from this in the advertising company. But one would think that the countries national tourism agency would be worth supporting.
Scotland's national tourism agency is called VisitScotland, and along with VisitScotland.com which it part owns provides international and national marketing, booking website, quality measurement and grading, and local tourist offices.
For this we contribute by paying membership fees, quality inspection fees, advertising fees and commission on bookings.
For the last few years I have been hearing rumors that the promotion of the far north by some of these offices was a bit lacking, I would tend to discount these stories as gossip, but last weekend some guests relaid an interesting tale. They had gone to one of these offices and asked about the North Coast and the Orkneys, only to be told that they would be better going to Skye.
Now I think Skye is beautiful, but so is the far north, it's early in the season and we need every visitor we can get, so I have to say I am more than a little peeved that part of the body that is supposed to be promoting tourism for the whole of Scotland is promoting one area above another.
It's difficult enough to get tourists, we could really do without part of our national tourist agency actively trying to persuade them not to come.


Ok rant over!

The photograph is of Sandside Harbour, Reay, Caithness.

Tourism

Early Birds, originally uploaded by North Light.

I note from the Highland Council's website that they are conducting a online survey on the development of John O'Groats, in their own words "We need your help! Please help us to scope the potential for John O’Groats as a visitor destination"
Now sadly the link to this survey is buried away under "Tourism Development"
Surely this should be a front page item? John O'Groats is one of Scotland's best known locations, yet the Hotel is falling down, the foundations of the next phase of development are overgrown and long abandoned. The Operators of the shops and other facilities there deserve a lot of credit and support for their perseverance in this beautiful corner of Scotland.
This should be the focal point for the development of tourism in Caithness and North Sutherland.

So here is the link to the page, please do the survey, the far North of Scotland is a stunning place and tourism has to be a key part of it's future.

http://www.highland.gov.uk/leisureandtourism/tourismdevelopment/

What, No Surf!

112 - Calm, originally uploaded by North Light.

Today is the first day of the O'Neill Highland Open Surf competition, I was on Thurso beach last night, flat calm, you could have gone out into the bay in a boat made of paper, and it would have been safe!
Lets hope the swell behaves and give all the Surfers staying in the town a good competition.

Beach Graffiti

98 - Beach Graffiti, originally uploaded by North Light.

Ok, so I am going to have to admit that now the hotel is partially open, 4 nights a week, that I really am not achieving my goal of a post a week to my blog! There just does not seem to be enough time in the day.
We are at present busy with a series of 4 night tours, which so far are going very smoothly, and the vast majority of the guests are a pleasure to have.
I am still uptight about our Politicians meddling with licensing laws and alcohol duty, so we'll leave that subject well alone!
The weather, well I hope that last weekend's cold snap is the end of winter, and that we can look forward to a warmer summer than last year, and maybe a few more tourists exploring the beautiful area I live and work in.
The photograph, my photo of the day for the 8th of April, I hope that I don't have to do too many like this, got onto the beach late afternoon, it had started raining on the way to Dunnet, it was raining heavily, there was a biting cold wind, hence I was feeling very unmotivated, considering the circumstance I am very pleased with the result!

Tranquillity

Tranquillity 2, originally uploaded by North Light.

I don't often do B & W, but this image struck me as I worked on the colour version that it would be better in Black and White.

Anyway, I need images like this when I listen to our Politicians on the subject of alcohol.
Why do they think that the solution to drinking problems is to increase the costs, ie duty and the cost of licensing premises?
Do they not understand that the Tourist and Hotel trades are important to Scotland?
Reading some of their comments they obviously do not.
Licensing costs, the new cost have increased by a factor of 5 for renewals for our hotel, plus annual charges.
I accept things change, and do not have a problem with the concept that the fees should pay for the system, Yet Councils are employing extra staff, surely this suggests the new system is more bureaucratic and hence not as cost effective?
I strongly object to some of the comments that have been made by politicians, I quote Mr MacAskill, our Justice Secretary,

"They would dispense with the "outdated and dogmatic" mindset that selling alcohol was a right."

"It is not," he added. "It is a privilege."

Hmm, as an operator of a Three Star Hotel, that brings a lot of tourist trade into the area, to be awarded the Three Start rating I have to have a Bar, it's one of the criteria! It's not a privilege, it's a requirement.

As for heavy increases in duty to help curb binge drinking, the vast majority of people drink in sensible moderation, and a good operator will, as his license requires not serve alcohol to someone who has had too much.
Cheap alcohol will still be available, the supermarkets sell for less than I can buy for! Having high duty on alcohol will only increase the illegal import of Alcohol for sale from other parts of the EU.

Alcohol abuse is a problem, but the solutions are not as easy as putting the taxes up! It's a cultural problem, the solution is to change the culture. Its about education, not penalising one of the countries major industries, who are already having to cope with big rises to their operating costs due to rising energy costs.

Oh I need to go and look at the photograph again!

Bi-lingual road signs

67 - In Between Showers, originally uploaded by North Light.

Time for a rant!

I note with less than amusement that we are to benefit from bi-lingual road signs, the Highland Council has recently voted that as part of the Gaelic Plan these signs are to be implemented as a Highland wide policy.
In doing so, the Highland Council meeting rejected by 36 votes to 29 a notice of motion by 8 Caithness Councillors who wanted their area excluded from the policy stating: “…the blanket roll out of bi-lingual signs in the Highlands should only proceed where there exists significant local demand for such a policy.”
I should add that Caithness only has a total of 9 Councillors, so much for democracy!
The vast majority of Caithness was not Gaelic speaking, its language deriving from Norse, as the majority of place names do.
Would it not be better to spend this money on attracting more tourists to the area and hence helping the economy of Caithness!

Consistency

A Sea, originally uploaded by North Light.

Hmm, so much for more consistent posts! Will have to do better!
We have our first Tour in the Hotel next week, so its starting to get busier, which ironically means I will have more time to post on the blog.

February has produced some great weather for photography, some of which may be seen on my Flickr pages. As the days are getting longer I am looking forward to photography on warm evenings, and on that wishful note its time to sign off.