HIE help for Enterprise North will assist tourism restoration in Caithness and Sutherland

Eann Sinclair, HIE’s area director for Caithness and Sutherland, says investing in Venture North will significantly increase its capacity to support the tourism industry. Image: Angus Mackay / HIE

A three year strategy to support the recovery of the Caithness and Sutherland tourism industries has secured a £ 365,000 investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

The destination management organization Venture North is leading the project, which will create three full-time positions.

The group is in the final stages of recruiting people from local development funds and tourism-related groups to help co-produce a tourism destination restoration strategy. This serves as a guide for sustainable recovery in the far north.

Venture North was founded in 2013 by a group of Caithness and Sutherland entrepreneurs to support the sustainable development of tourism following an HIE-funded project.

The funding is £ 3million approved by the Agency in September 2020 to assist strategic tourism destination management organizations over the next three years as part of a broader support for the recovery of the tourism sector.

HIE says it recognizes the important role of these organizations, their far-reaching reach in local businesses and communities, and their impact on sustainable green tourism recovery alongside responsible visitor management.

Eann Sinclair, HIE Area Manager for Caithness and Sutherland, said: “The importance of tourism to Caithness and Sutherland is well known and has created an important source of employment in all parts of our region.

“Unfortunately, tourism and hospitality have been among the hardest hit sectors of our economy over the past 15 months and we see helping these sectors recover from Covid-19 as a critical part of the wider economic recovery effort in the north.

Venture North has developed events like the Taste North Festival. Image: Alan Hendry

“Since its inception in 2013, Venture North has worked to promote and manage tourism activities in the north and we recognize its success in developing events such as the Taste North Festival.

“Our investment in Venture North as a destination management organization will, however, mean another significant increase in the capacity to support the industry and our communities in revitalizing the tourism and hospitality industries.

“It will undoubtedly be a challenging task, but we look forward to working with Venture North, our partners and tourism companies in Caithness and Sutherland for the next three years and beyond.”

Catherine Macleod, Chair of Venture North said, “With the future recovery of Caithness and Sutherland in mind over the past 18 months, we are excited to lead this project for the region. The recruitment of the project team has started and we will work with our stakeholders in both counties to develop a recovery plan. “

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