Outer Hebrides Destination Development
In the Outer Hebrides, tourism accounts for around 10% of the local economy and helps to sustain many rural businesses and communities across the islands. Income from the sector has grown from £53 million in 2014 to £65 million in 2017 and was on track to reach £74 million by 2020 prior to the onset of COVID-19. Continued investment in the tourism infrastructure of the islands, providing a variety of rich and memorable experiences, will be vital to maintain and grow the value of the tourism economy.
The Outer Hebrides Destination Development project will explore a suite of projects that will build on different strengths of the Outer Hebrides’ rich environment and cultural heritage. For example, focusing on key aspects of island heritage such as St Kilda, the world renowned Callanish standing stones and experiences based on the history of the islanders.
The selected projects are geographically distributed, creating employment opportunities in remote communities and ensuring the benefits of the Outer Hebrides Destination Development investment are shared across the islands.
The Outer Hebrides Destination Development project will be supported with joint investment of up to £8 million from the Scottish Government and UK Government (SG £4 million/UKG £4 million).
For more information, contact Joanna Peteranna