Led by a team of dynamic individuals who each have extensive and varied experience in community tourism, SCOTO’s ambition is to recalibrate tourism in Scotland to deliver for Scotland’s communities and environment first.
What is SCOTO?
VISION
For every community in Scotland to be able to secure added value from tourism
MISSION
- To support all our communities in embracing community led tourism
- To build the skills, connections and confidence of all involved
- To encourage all visitors to become temporary locals
What does SCOTO do?
Our work at SCOTO is based on seven key activities, each detailed below:
A Forum for Networking
Individuals and communities across Scotland have access to at least six online gatherings per annum, showcasing best practices and support networking. SCOTO also hosts an annual conference with learning exchange visits.
Learning & Resources
SCOTO provides free access to a bank of online resources specifically tailored to community led tourism initiatives. This includes showcasing best practice case studies, providing a community led tourism themed resource page and signposts to partner resources.
Programme of Support
Individual communities and community led tourism enterprises will have access to small grant and other support programmes which provide resources to progress specific activity – e.g. professional blogs, promotional campaigns, facilitated workshops and learning exchanges
Collective Voice - Leadership and Representation
SCOTO will act as a conduit for the voice of community led tourism on national, regional and local forums, advisory groups and networks. This is to ensure the community led tourism sector has a voice when relevant strategy, policy and delivery plans are being considered and developed.
Promotional Platform
Individual community led tourism enterprises will be able to be profiled and promoted on SCOTO’s visitor facing website, www.belocal.scot and be part of funded content curation and campaign activity targeted at ethical travellers from the UK and overseas.
Data and Intelligence
Individual communities and community led tourism enterprises will benefit from the availability of data and intelligence which demonstrates the social and economic value of community led tourism in Scotland and which will allow proper analysis of gaps and opportunities and provide evidence to support the further development of community led tourism across Scotland and individual projects and initiatives.
Services, Contracts and Partnerships
Individual communities and community led tourism enterprises will either have access to services available from SCOTO or benefit from contracts and services being progressed by SCOTO for strategic partners such as (but not limited to) local authorities, Enterprise Agencies and tourism organisations.
Where we started from
The Communities Leading in Tourism (CLT) Programme brought together groups of tourism providers and community representatives in the Highlands and Islands and the South of Scotland at a crucial time for the sector.
With Scotland aiming to rebuild from the effects of Covid-19, and with demand for staycations increasing, there is now – more than ever – an opportunity and a need to engage and empower local communities, and to ensure that the benefits that flow from tourism are enjoyed more widely.
Over 85 individuals took part in the CLT programme. Three outcomes were evident:
a) Most participants did not have a background in tourism and gained massively from better understanding the sector and how it operates on many levels.
b) Recognition that Community Tourism is a real thing that conscious consumers seek out and is exceptionally well aligned to the national tourism strategy ‘Scotland Outlook 2030’ – yet it is not represented by existing tourism forums or presented to visitors as a distinct experience in its own right.
c) Creating a forum where participants could share new ideas and innovations made a tangible difference back in their respective local community.
The new voice for community tourism
One of CLT's Highland participants Russell Fraser of Loch Ness Hub recognised the value from this new network and came up with the initial idea of continuing it through a new forum and devising a brand to help visitors find community tourism enterprises.
In 2021 CLT course leader Carron Tobin, was successful in securing a £60k grant from the Scottish Government’s Tourism Leadership & Recovery Fund to progress Russell’s idea – and establish SCOTO.
This 6-month grant was specifically targeted at formally establishing SCOTO as a legal entity, developing a digital presence for engagement between members and with visitors, creating the much-needed networking forum for CLT practitioners, establishing a social media presence and devising a brand marque to raise visitor awareness of Community Tourism enterprises across Scotland. Our first year has exceeded all expectations! Check out the highlights of our impact here.
Who We Are
Meet our delivery team
Diane Smith (SCOTO Coordinator)
Moray
Carron Tobin (Executive Director)
Loch Lomond & The Trossachs
Our directors are
SCOTO's Impact
SCOTO's activities during its first year have been innovative and substantial for such a new and small organisation.
Have a look at our first year of activity to gain insight into the achievements, reach, and impact of this growing network:
Our Aim
“to establish community owned and managed tourism as a highly respected and distinct sector within the Scottish tourism offer - dedicated to providing high quality and authentic experiences which derive positive benefits for our visitors and our communities alike.”
The key areas of activity
To deliver our objectives we are focussing on
Brand
Developing an instantly recognisable visitor-facing brand, Be Local and our network brand SCOTO.
Website
Operating a visitor facing website www.belocal.scot which features community tourism blogs and interactive map showcasing each of our partners under key themes. Supporting and sharing resources, events and invaluable information to our SCOTO Network through www.scoto.co.uk
Services
Undertaking contracts and provide services activity linked to Community Tourism.
Social Media
Being active on social media as @SCOTOnetwork and @BeLocalScotland, profiling our activity and partners and engaging in wider tourism conversations
PR
PR and media activity to raise awareness of our presence and offering
Forum
Providing platforms for our network to share information and ask questions.
Resources
Gathering and sharing online resources to assist our partners, aspirers, supporters and friends
Network
Hosting regular online gatherings and webinars to share best practice and catch up with our partners, supporters and friends
SCOTO is currently members of
Alasdair Nicholson, Point & Sandwick Trail, Adviser
“A path is much more than just a path. It is the infrastructure for accessing all sorts of opportunities. The path is a route to interesting and beautiful places, a way of reminding ourselves about our local heritage, and an incentive to do some healthy exercise.”
Lucy Conway, Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust