We believe tourism should be a value-add to community life — enhancing local economies, enriching our cultural and natural assets, and supporting the wellbeing of residents. This is the foundation of our work: communities must be in the driving seat, with tourism developed as a tool to deliver their wider social, environmental, and economic goals.
Aims for Moray’s Tourism Future
The brief for this project calls for a shared, place-specific vision that:
- • Prioritises community benefit — ensuring tourism strengthens local cohesion and resilience, and supports quality of life.
- • Protects and enhances the environment — supporting low-impact travel, protecting biodiversity, and promoting sustainable use of Moray’s outstanding natural landscapes
- • Supports business viability — creating conditions for locally rooted enterprises to thrive.
- • Celebrates Moray’s distinct identity — attracting visitors who share its values and respect its character.
This is about developing tourism with the people of Moray, not simply for them.
SCOTO’s Press Pause® approach will guide the process — creating space for inclusive conversations that ask: What is and isn’t working just now? What could be done better or differently? We’ll work with stakeholders to explore:
- •What kind of tourism Moray wants to nurture.
- •How to balance visitor opportunity with community and business needs and environmental stewardship.
- •Practical steps that ensure tourism is a contributor, not a competitor, to the region’s wider ambitions.
By slowing down, we can build a strategy that is realistic, resilient, and rooted in the values of the place. Of note this strategy will be developed in the absence of a Destination Management and Marketing Organisation so the what and the how will be key considerations.
What ‘Community’ Means to SCOTO
In SCOTO terms, “community” is the whole living system of a place:
- •The people who live, work, and volunteer there year-round.
- •The enterprises that provide goods, services, and experiences, with profits and jobs kept local.
- •The shared assets — from woodlands and walking trails to heritage buildings and village halls.
- •The connections — the trust, collaboration, and shared knowledge that underpin a healthy local economy.
Looking Ahead
Over the coming months, we’ll work alongside Moray Council, businesses, community organisations, residents and wider stakeholders to gather insights through workshops, one-to-ones, and targeted engagement with under-represented voices.
The result will be a Tourism Strategy that belongs to Moray — one that celebrates its unique identity, safeguards its landscapes, supports viable business, and ensures tourism contributes positively to everyday life.
Carron Tobin, SCOTO Executive Director said, "We are delighted to be working with Moray Council to develop this new strategy seeking a strong and vibrant visitor economy which builds on the capacity, capability and ambition of local businesses and communities.We urge everyone with an interest in tourism to get involved.”
Our innovative SCOTO Press Pause ® facilitated conversations across Moray will help everyone collectively understand what's possible at a local level and as a foundation for then responding to tourism trends, opportunities and data insights. We're excited to pioneer this grass roots approach to tourism strategy development in an era when responsible and regenerative tourism principles are to the fore and the focus has to therefore be on balancing the interests and aspirations of local communities, businesses and visitors."
