AN annual series of major sporting events and cultural festivals forms the key plank of a business plan to boost Dunoon’s economy.

Colin Moulson, manager of the Dunoon BID (Business Improvement District), says around 20,000 visitors are expected to have come to the town by the end of the current initiative next year, spending around half a million pounds.

The schedule includes mountain biking races and a music and book festival while the town will host a triathlon for the first time in May. In June, up to 8000 visitors are expected for a round of the Scottish Rally Championship.

Moulson said: “To date, the BID has generated £300,000 for the local economy and it is my expectation that it will generate a total of £500,000 by the end of the BID term.

Like other BID projects, the Dunoon BID, which began in 2013, is funded by local businesses aware efforts were needed to boost trade.

Moulson’s “New Dawn for Dunoon” opted for a strategy focused on the seaside resort’s history as a destination for Glaswegians taking trips “Doon the Watter” on steamers such as the Waverley.

“I wanted to take on the project at a high level, focusing on the town’s attractiveness. We realised very quickly that we should capitalise on Dunoon’s unique selling point – its history as a popular seaside resort,” he told The National.

“Over the years holiday habits have changed massively.

“So we wanted to create compelling reasons for people to come to Dunoon and believe we have achieved that through the series of predominantly outdoor sporting events.”