NC500: Tourists must be tempted away from 'bucket list' Highlands spots, say experts

Last month, campaigner and Lochcarron resident Robin Pettigrew said there was a risk irate locals living along the North Coast 500 route taking “direct action” against inconsiderate tourists as has been seen in the likes of Spain and Greece.

The incoming new boss of the NC500, David Richardson, has also stressed how overwhelmed residents are feeling by motorhome use as he insisted authorities had been “caught out” by the popularity of the route.

Experts have now stressed there needs to be a shift at a national and regional level towards encouraging people to visit the Highlands out of season in spring and autumn as well as pushing them towards lesser-known road trips and natural beauty spots.

Professor Steve Taylor, who heads up the Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research at the University of the Highlands and Islands, said he had been awakened to the urgent need to spread tourists out from living in the tourist hotspot of Glenfinnan.

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The hamlet next to Loch Sheil attracts Harry Potter fans who have flocked in ever-growing numbers over the last 20 years to see the viaduct which was famously used in the Warner Bros films.

Taylor (below) said: “I’ve driven through Glenfinnan a few times recently and I thought people would be having a terrible time because the weather wasn’t great and there were so many cars around.

“People couldn’t park in the car park so they were having to park out of the village, and then walking on the verge which had been churned up because so many cars were parked there. So they were walking on a 60mph road and I’m thinking, what kind of experience is this?

“I would like to think we’re getting to a stage where people are thinking, ‘we need to be doing something else’, but you can’t just rely on that.

(Image: Supplied)

“There is quite a lot of negative press about tourism in Scotland now. We’re not quite at the stage of Spain yet, but it may well be coming and I do think there are more proactive steps to be taken in terms of promotion in getting people to visit at different times and different places.”

Taylor said the popularity of Glenfinnan and the likes of the NC500 has partly occurred because of social media and the difficulty with controlling the trend of visiting “bucket list” destinations for selfies.

He stressed there need to be efforts made by the likes of VisitScotland on a national level but also local businesses and regional tourism organisations to plant the idea of visiting out of season in people’s minds as well as promoting other circular road trips like the South West Coastal 300 – which travels around Dumfries and Galloway – and the North East 250, which runs through Aberdeenshire and Angus close to dozens of whisky distilleries.

“I think there’s a promotional role at different levels to get people to come at different times of year,” said Taylor.

“I do think consumers will have a better time because the weather tends to be more stable in the spring and autumn, there are fewer midges and tourists. I think that would help to place less strain on the infrastructure that we’re seeing at the height of the season.

“Much of the work we do with the research centre is trying to get people to visit other areas too, so trying to get people to visit the less visited places on the west coast.

“Glenfinnan (below) is a particularly good example of this tourism that is heavily social media based of getting the shot of the steam train, but there’s not much depth to that experience and we probably get too many people just passing through, not getting to know the place or spend money there.

(Image: National Trust)

“It would be great, and I think the same is true on the NC500, to get people to slow down and spend time dwelling in places rather than just trying to do too much in a single trip. We need to make businesses in those places aware of what there is to do in the locality so they can pass on that knowledge to the visitor.”

Dr Anna De Jong, a tourism expert at the University of Glasgow, said she felt there had been too much of a growth focus on tourism through organisations like VisitScotland without considering the consequences such as putting strain on inadequate infrastructure.

On the VisitScotland page for Glenfinnan for example, the Jacobite steam train and its Harry Potter connection are mentioned before its much deeper history of being the place where the Jacobite clansmen gathered before their last attempt to reinstate the exiled Stuarts to the throne. However, the page does encourage visitors to come by train rather than car.

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Asked if the country has big lessons to learn from overtourism in the Highlands, De Jong said: “I think so. You do get that sense when you speak to people in tourism in the Highlands. There is a much stronger awareness now of having experienced these quite significant impacts.

“There’s been a shift in the conversation around being a lot more careful with the approach to tourism.

“VisitScotland would say they have a responsible tourism strategy that is, in a lot of ways, responding to some of these concerns, but I don’t think it goes far enough. It still, at its essence, wants to attract more people from the US for example and international visitors, engaging new markets. It’s not really got away from that growth narrative.

“It goes back to the very fundamentals about how Scotland wants to approach tourism generally and what that looks like and prioritising the idea that if you are going to promote an area, you have to firstly have the infrastructure and that wasn’t necessarily the case with the NC500.”

A spokesperson for VisitScotland, said: “We recognise there is a careful balance to strike to ensure that communities feel comfortable and capable of welcoming visitors and visitors can have the experiences they want. We are working with the industry and our public sector partners to support the responsible growth of the visitor economy so that all areas of the country can enjoy the benefits tourism. In doing so, we seek to balance the needs of business, visitors, and local communities across the country.

“For several years now, our focus has been on growing the value of tourism rather than volume of our visitors. Our activity focuses on promoting Scotland as a year-round destination, inspiring visitors to slow down and immerse themselves in the places they are visiting, encouraging geographical spread.

“All our work supports the ambitions of the national tourism strategy, Scotland Outlook 2030, which has responsible tourism as its core purpose and the National Strategy for Economic Transformation, of which sustainability has a key role.

“We know from our work with tour operators and travel agents that we are seeing a trend from North American bookings moving away from the peak summer season to spring or autumn. Through our intermediary marketing activity, we are showcasing and supporting businesses who are championing responsible tourism practices.

“We do know there are pressure points, particularly at certain times of the year, and we work a variety of partners to understand and manage those concerns by encouraging visitors to plan ahead, visit areas with capacity and consider travelling at different times of the year.”

Ewelina Lacka, a marketing expert from Edinburgh University who has worked on tourism solutions on Skye through the creation of the MySkyeTime app, said giving tourists more information about how busy places are and alternative sites they could go to could help improve satisfaction.

Using vehicle traffic monitoring sensors, the app provides live information about how busy car parks are and how many people are visiting a place at any one time.

“If the Fairy Pools is busy, we give them an alternative option, not to say they shouldn’t go to the Fairy Pools [at all], but maybe they can go later and explore other places instead to spread the tourist economy across the island,” said Lacka.

“I think that solution can be replicated in other places such as the NC500. It would have a positive impact on the visitor experience.

"I think a lot of people who come to Scotland have this idea of them being alone in a beautiful landscape and they will admire that romantic vision, but going to overcrowded places does not meet those expectations, so it would improve satisfaction.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Ministers recognise the need to balance the promotion of Scotland as a visitor destination with ensuring an even distribution of tourists across the country.

“That is why Scotland’s tourism strategy focuses on extending the visitor season, directing tourists towards lesser-known areas and attracting higher value visitors who stay longer and spend more.

“VisitScotland is working with tour operators and travel agencies to promote Scotland as a year-round destination and ensure that all parts of Scotland can benefit from tourism."