Forth Bridges Tourism Strategy

Client: Fife Council
Location: Scotland
Discipline(s):

Consultancy work to develop a Tourism Strategy for the Forth Bridges area which links Edinburgh and Fife in Scotland following the opening of the new Queensferry Crossing in 2017.

Project requirements
The Forth Bridges Forum Tourism Project Group commissioned consultancy work to develop a Tourism Strategy for the Forth Bridges area. This included public engagement and analysis and the creation of a draft strategy and delivery plan. This was presented to the Forth Bridges Forum Tourism Project Group.

The Issue
Multiple stakeholders such as the City of Edinburgh Council, Fife Council, Forth Bridges Unit Operating Company, Historic Scotland, Network Rail, Transport Scotland, Visit Scotland and West Lothian Council had an interest in the strategy and their views alongside views of local residents had to be taken into consideration and managed in relation to the strategy and delivery plan.

The approach required leadership, unity of purpose, investment, agreement, alignment and understanding in order to provide an action plan to tdeliver economic and social benefit from tourism in the Forth Bridges area.

The GL Hearn Solution
GL Hearn drew upon previous experience in successful stakeholder engagement to facilitate effective workshops with key stakeholders. The responses were reviewed and analysed to feed into the tourism strategy which would meet both the needs of residents and tourists visiting the bridges. The area’s unique selling points were identified and exploited in order to identify funding opportunities and delivery partners. Strategy workshops with key stakeholders informed the wider tourism strategy and the resulting strategy and delivery plan ensured that actions were proposed for the short, medium and long term.
Presentation of the Forth Bridges Area Tourism Strategy and Delivery Plan