Tourism

Tourism is worth over £240m to the Angus economy

Visitors support almost 4,000 FTE jobs

On average, visitors stay 4.2 nights, spending £30m on accommodation

Tourism is a priority sector for Angus, contributing £240 million to local economy and supporting 3,883 full-time equivalent jobs (2019). The Covid pandemic had far reaching effects on all parts of the visitor economy and supporting services. The statistics above report pre-Covid trends. Information for 2020 and 2021 is not reflective of the usual economic outputs for the area.

The Invest in Angus team work with the tourism sector to showcase the assets of Angus to visitors; improve the capability and capacity of the sector; enhance the visitor experience and maximise the potential of tourism driven by new developments and key events.

We co-ordinate the Visit Angus destination marketing campaign to raise the profile of Angus locally, nationally and internationally.

Angus Tourism Framework

In April 2019, a new Angus Tourism Framework was launched which was produced in collaboration with tourism businesses and key stakeholders including VisitScotland and the Angus Tourism Cooperative. The framework has identified priority themes as follows:

Industry Leadership & Collaboration
Pride of Place
Product & Experience Development
Marketing

Action plans are in place for each of the four priority themes. For more information, see the Angus Tourism Framework action plan.

To keep up to date with the latest business and funding opportunities, news and events, sign up to receive the monthly tourism enewsletter.

If you would like to get involved with any of the working groups, please get in touch.

Short-term lets

The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022 came into force on 1 March 2022.

New hosts and operators must apply for a short-term lets licence from 1 October 2022.

In light of the decision of the Scottish Parliament on 1 March 2023, the deadline by which existing hosts and operators must apply for a licence has been extended from 1 April 2023 to 1 October 2023.

See the Angus Council website for guidance and to apply for a licence.

See the VisitScotland website for advice and support.

Advice on creating a climate action plan

A good Climate Action Plan is not just about reducing your emissions. It’s about understanding how the net zero transition will affect your business, your community, and the environment.

VisitScotland has created a step-by-step guide to developing a climate action plan for businesses in the tourism and events sector. The guide will help businesses find ways to increase efficiency with a view to reducing costs. It can also help you meet customer demand, recruit and keep staff, build resilience, and manage risks.

See the guide.

Business Chargepoint Funding Scheme

To support the uptake of electric vehicles across Scotland, Transport Scotland has made grant funding available through Energy Saving Trust to help organisations install electric vehicle charging infrastructure on their premises.

Funding is currently available for chargepoints for sole use by occupants, staff and visitors. You can access this funding if:

Your business is a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) in a rural area of Scotland – grants are available to cover up to 50% of the cost of purchasing and installing electric vehicle chargepoints; or
Your business is a third sector organisation – grants are available to cover up to 75% of the cost of purchasing and installing electric vehicle chargepoints.

See full guidance and apply on the Energy Saving Trust website.

Regional Tourism

The four local authorities (Angus Council, Dundee City Council, Fife Council and Perth & Kinross Council), Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland are working together to support the growth of the tourism sector across the region.

A new regional tourism strategy has been developed following consultation with tourism businesses and organisations, which aims to grow the volume and value of the visitor economy in the Tay Cities region.