McCraigs Tower Oban Aerial Shot 3

Oban bids to bring visitors to the town all year round

A new plan to bring more tourists to Oban has been revealed.

Wild About Argyll has teamed up with Bid4Oban to promote the town as a must visit destination, in a bid to drive visitors to the area in 2022 and beyond.

The ambitious plans will see the launch of a number of Love Oban itineraries and activities, developed to  showcase Scotland’s Seafood Capital, and promote the thriving port town as a place to visit, 12 months a year.

Following a successful summer, the partnership aims to inspire domestic tourists to holiday at home, by visiting Oban and surrounding areas when international travel fully resumes, encourage them to stay longer and help boost the local economy as it continues to recover from the pandemic.

Cathy Craig, CEO at Wild About Argyll, said: ‘AITC is delighted to be working collaboratively with Bid4Oban and its businesses to build on the high visitor profile achieved throughout Oban and Lorn Tourism Alliance’s tenure and showcase all that Oban has to offer.

‘Travel has changed, and so have we, and this new approach will ensure a sustainable vision for the future and not only safeguard, but increase economic, social and environmental benefits to the area.

‘We will be holding focus groups in Oban during February and are keen to hear views from tourism businesses to ensure we identify all the different aspects of the visitor experience that Oban offers.

McCaigs Tower in Oban (Photo: Jasdeep Shahi / Shutterstock)

‘With a new core team in place, AITC have the capacity and energy to inspire repeat and new visitors to enjoy Oban.’

A series of campaigns and bespoke itineraries are set to launch early 2022, offering a wide variety of options to suit everyone’s interests and budget. The programme of activity will bring together Oban’s best-known cultural institutions and tourism attractions, alongside Michelin star restaurants, award-winning hospitality venues and both marine and adventure tourism providers – all coming together to promote and celebrate Oban’s world-class offerings.

A newly redeveloped website www.oban.org.uk will provide a central hub for visitors to plan their break in advance and find out more information about the year-round experiences.

Andrew Spence, CEO at BID4Oban, added: ‘The team at BID4Oban are very excited about our strengthened partnership with Wild About Argyll. We have big plans to bring repeat and new visitors to the area but also to extend the season and position Oban as a year-round destination.

‘With Wild About Argyll’s extensive destination management experience and input from our knowledgeable levy payer businesses, we are confident that 2022 will be a bumper year for the town.’

For more information about the new itineraries visit www.oban.org.uk.

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