News

Angus Council and Angus Tourism Co-operative are celebrating the news that the county welcomed 1.17 million visitors last year – a jump of 8% on 2017 and a 37% increase since 2010.

According to the annual tourism trends research undertaken by Global Tourism Solutions (UK) Ltd, £240 million was generated within the local economy through visitor and tourism business expenditure, an increase of 4% on the year before.

Councillor Braden Davy, Angus Council’s Economic Development spokesperson, said: “It’s great to see that 2018 was another successful year for tourism in Angus. While we were expecting to see an increase during the year with the return of The Open to Carnoustie and the opening of the V&A Dundee, there is so much more that Angus has to offer.

“To maximise these assets, local tourism businesses have been working together with the Angus Tourism Co-operative and Angus Council, to develop a new tourism framework for the area.

“Visitor numbers to the area have increased steadily by 37% since 2010 and I’m delighted to see industry working together to promote the area and identify ways to meet the needs of current and future visitors.

“The increase in both visitor numbers and spend highlights the importance of tourism to the Angus economy. The expenditure and activity of visitors to the area also supports almost 4,000 full time equivalent jobs.”

The new five-year plan for tourism in Angus was launched recently to an audience of over 50 stakeholders at Hospitalfield House in Arbroath. It identifies five priority themes, including Industry Leadership & Collaboration; Pride of Place; Data & Insights; Product & Experience Development and Marketing.

Ann-Marie Black, Chair of the Angus Tourism Co-operative said: “It’s an exciting time for tourism in Angus. The ATC was formed in 2017, by a group of local tourism businesses and organisations keen to work together to improve the tourism offer in Angus.

“We’re delighted to have been involved in the development of a new tourism plan for Angus, with the shared vision, to work together with pride and passion to create, deliver and share inspirational experiences for all visitors to Angus. 

Angus is a fantastic place to visit and it’s great to see an increase in both visitor numbers and spend and the ATC are excited to be involved in the delivery of the new framework.”

As part of its ongoing tourism activity, Angus Council recently added to its network of digital information signs, with the installation of a new unit in Forfar. The ‘isigns’, which are installed at various locations throughout Angus, provide visitors to the area with up-to-date information about what there is to see and do locally, all linked to the Visit Angus website