It won’t come as any surprise to either residents or visitors to our region – we already knew what a great place it is to live and visit – but Dumfries and Galloway has won the award for ’Holiday Destination of the Year’ for 2015/16, following a ‘resounding’ vote by readers of the BBC’s Countryfile Magazine.
In his nomination, Countryfile’s expert, Dixe Wills, described Dumfries and Galloway as “an overlooked corner whose time has come” – and readers who voted agreed. Countryfile magazine said that this was due to Dumfries and Galloway’s ‘plentiful charms’, which includes ‘tranquil forests, astonishing wildlife, wonderful beaches, lochs and streams, plus the Uk’s original Dark Sky Park’.
It’s been a fantastic time for the Region recently, with the BBC’s Autumnwatch broadcast at the end of last year from Caerlaverock, to the news at the beginning of the week that the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust had secured a £5.3 million to secure the future of Peter Pan’s birthplace and that Threave Castle has topped a Medieval Architecture list.
In addition to our spectacular Countryside, we also have a host of lively and interesting towns in our region. This includesa the region’s ‘capital’, Dumfries; the ‘Queen of the South’, with its special connections to Robert Burns and Robert the Bruce, shops, museums and cafes. We also have many ‘Themed’ towns, such as the ‘Artist’s Town’ of Kirkcudbright or the ‘Food Town’, of Castle Douglas, to the book-lovers haven of Wigtown and musical Moniaive, which Countryfile Magazine labels as ‘Britain’s coolest village’!
It’s not only about our great towns and countryside. Dumfries and Galloway’s major festivals and events are one of the outstanding success stories of the region. The extensive and diverse range of events, such as the Wigtown Book Festival, Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival, Spring Fling, Big Burns Supper and the Eden Festival, are all reporting increasing numbers of visitors and economic impacts for the wider economy. Investment provided by Dumfries and Galloway Council, through the Council led Major Festivals and Events Strategy, is producing superb economic results from a host of high profile festivals. These funded events of the strategy are creating a windfall of around £10million per year for the region. The figures demonstrate a superb return on the Council’s investment of £250,000 per annum.
VisitScotland Regional Director Paula McDonald said: “I am absolutely thrilled that Dumfries and Galloway has been named ‘Holiday Destination of The Year’ in the prestigious BBC Countryfile Magazine Awards for 2015/16. This is fantastic news for the region; winning such a coveted title in these respected national awards – especially when the competition nationally is so strong – will provide a great boost for tourism in the region. This wonderful recognition of what an amazing location Dumfries and Galloway is, and the quality of the visitor experience it offers, represents a superb marketing tool which will help us promote the region and its wealth of assets and encourage many more visitors to come here and benefit our businesses and the local economy.”
Councillor Colin Smyth, chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Economy, Environment and Infrastructure committee said: “This is fantastic news for Dumfries and Galloway, and a major tourism award for our region. Figures from the tourism trend report, which was released in July last year, showed an encouraging increase in visitor numbers and tourism spend. The report showed an economic impact of £302.6 million from visitor spend in Dumfries and Galloway, the first time the region had achieved over £300 million.
Our Council is committed to supporting the local economy and by working together with Visit Scotland, the region’s tourism businesses can capitalise on our fantastic assets and encourage more guests to experience what Dumfries and Galloway has to offer. The Countryfile Magazine top award should now help to raise our profile and help us welcome even more visitors to the area.”
