Northern Irish Tourism Looks To Loch Earn Tourism Initiative For Best Practice

LOCHEARNHEAD, U.K. - March 31, 2014 - PRLog -- The Scottish tourism group, Loch Earn Tourism Initiative (LETI) - known for its very successful collaborative model for tourism businesses - has been asked, as part of a wider program, to engage with a group of tourism businesses from Northern Ireland who are looking to develop a similar approach.

The program, "Grow Your Horizons", is being implemented by Edinburgh based tourism consultancy, Business Tourism Solutions www.businesstourism.com and four local authorities led by Down District Council: the Ards, Down, Banbridge and Newry & Mourne. Sixty tourism operators from Destination Strangford Lough and Destination Mourne (incorporating Ring of Gullion) have signed up to learn how they can grow their businesses working with tour operators to attract more out-of-state and overseas visitors. The objective is to strengthen the businesses and attract more visitors to the area.

Mark Mohan, the Grow Your Horizons initiator from Down District Council in Northern Ireland said:

"This project is about helping 60 tourism business here in Northern Ireland gear themselves up to marketing to visitors from elsewhere in Ireland, from the UK and overseas. We wanted to demonstrate where tourism operators have successfully collaborated and marketed themselves and rural tourism businesses in Central Scotland were an obvious choice. Here, they'll meet like-minded businesses in tourism and hospitality and learn lessons from them that they can apply within their own business back home."

Kim Proven, Marketing leader and Chair of The Loch Earn Tourism Initiative said:

“I was delighted to accept an invitation to be Guest Industry Speaker at the closing dinner for our Irish visitors on this leg of their Grow Your Horizons program. Our rural group thrives on collaboration locally and with tourism partners from public and private sectors. We are very happy to share stories about our 20-year journey and how we are evolving. ”

The Grow Your Horizons visitors from Northern Ireland will also visit a number of businesses from the LETI area; Perthshire, The Trossachs and Breadalbane.

LETI’s picturesque villages lie within The Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. The area (also known as Rob Roy Country after the famous Highland hero Rob Roy MacGregor who is buried in Balquhidder) has a reputation for its outstanding natural beauty punctuated by mountains, lochs, forests and wildlife as well as the communities of Balquhidder, Lochearnhead, St Fillans and Strathyre.

The group promotes local information, history and services, where to stay, eateries, outdoor activities, and events via its website www.robroycountry.com, digital marketing, social media and PR.

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