Making Tourism and Business More Affordable and Sustainable
This priority for action will help to deliver a diverse and vibrant sustainable economy that conserves and enhances the special qualities of this area and involves and benefits local communities. It will help to deliver the national tourism ambition to grow tourism revenues by 50 per cent in a sustainable manner by 2015. There will also be support for business opportunities linked to the special qualities of the area such as building design, food and drink, land management and small-scale renewable energy.
Outcomes for 2012 – what does this priority for action seek to achieve in five years?
- An increasing proportion of economic activity will be based on the special qualities of the Park.
- The visitor experience in the National Park will consistently exceed expectations and will drive repeat visits/more business opportunities. The Park will compare well against the rest of Scotland and other National Parks.
- There will be a more even distribution of visitor numbers throughout the year.
- A greater percentage of visitors will contribute to the conservation and enhancement of the Park.
- A greater percentage of businesses will meet the quality standards and environmental management criteria of the Park brand [link to Brand page] and achieve commercial advantage through its use.
- There will be an increase in use of local suppliers and produce.
- Communities will feel that quality of life is improving and that they are able to influence the direction of economic growth within the Park.
The Cairngorms National Park Plan Progress Report and the Park Plan four-monthly updates update how this priority for action is progressing and what actions have been achieved.
Food for Life Development Plan for the Cairngorms National Park
The quality and diversity of the natural larder available in the Cairngorms National Park is outstanding; it supports and stimulates the local economy and eliminates unnecessary food miles. The CNPA and the Soil Association Scotland are jointly researching and developing a Food for Life Development Plan for the Cairngorms National Park, which will look at ways of developing and promoting the use of local produce throughout the Park. A key stage in developing the Plan was to hold a planning day, where interested parties came together to share their views and thoughts on what needs to be tackled to take forward more production and consumption of local food across the Park. Read the report on the day here.