News

The impact of AI on travel, the importance of accessibility to the visitor experience and how tourism can transform the local economy, are the hot topics businesses can explore at a major tourism and events industry conference next week.

The line-up of speakers has been confirmed for The Tay Country Tourism Conference: Moving forward Tay-gether which will take place on Tuesday (March 3) at the Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa in Dundee.

Hosted by broadcaster and tour operator, Alistair Heather, the conference – the first to be held since the pandemic – has been organised by national tourism and events organisation, VisitScotland, in partnership with Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perth & Kinross Councils, and is open to businesses across all the local authorities.

Businesses attending the one-day conference will find out about the latest travel insights, hear from tourism experts, and network and learn from other tourism businesses in the region.

Speakers include Vicki Miller, VisitScotland chief executive; Sam Weston, Head of AI and Marketing at 80 Days; Jóhannes Þór Skúlason, managing director of the Icelandic Travel Industry Association; Carrie-Ann Lightley, writer, speaker and content creator, specialising in accessible travel; and Dougie Cameron, interim chief executive of Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

Tourism is a key sector for the wider Tay Country region. The latest figures show an average annual expenditure from overnight visitors of £981 million, helping to support 2305 tourism businesses and 33,000 people employed in tourism across all four council areas.

From eateries to engineering, laundry services to life sciences, the benefits of tourism also create a ripple effect across the whole local economy.

Caroline Warburton, chairperson of Dundee’s industry leadership group and destination development director at VisitScotland, said: “The Tay Country Tourism Conference 2026 provides a platform to celebrate the passion and hard work which tourism businesses across the region show every day of the year.

“We will share some of those stories, hear from others beyond our region and help connect, and reconnect, businesses and leaders.”

Alistair Heather, conference host who also runs Historic Ally Tours, added: “We know that through co-operation across Tayside, we can keep growing a sustainable tourism industry that contributes positively to local economies and strengthens local communities.

“There are so many people doing good work across the region, and this conference will help us learn from each other, hear about best practise elsewhere, and keep developing mutually beneficial relations right across Tayside.”

The event supports the Tay Cities Region Tourism Framework, which outlines shared regional priorities for strengthening the visitor economy across Angus, Dundee, Fife, and Perth & Kinross, and how the region can move forward ‘Tay-gether’ in the coming years.

Tickets for the Tay Country Tourism Conference 2026 are priced at £30 (+ £3 booking fee) per person and available from: Tay Country Tourism Conference | Dundee City Region Convention Bureau.

The first regional tourism conference took place in 2019 in Dundee and attracted around 200 businesses.