Fife Tourism Now Worth £588 Million To The Economy

Fife is celebrating another successful year in which it attracted local, national and international visitors to the region. Tourism in the region is now worth £588 million to the economy, a four per cent increase in value year-on-year.

More than 8.3 million trips were made to the Kingdom in 2017, which have generated tourism- related employment for over 12,000 people.

And, this year, Fife Tourism Partnership in collaboration with its six Local Tourist Associations has driven further economic growth and enhanced visitor experience across the region.

Work is underway on an exciting augmented reality app, which will allow visitors to trace the steps of historic royals in the Heartlands of the Kingdom of Fife. Part-funded by Scottish Enterprise, the project, ‘In the Footsteps of Kings’, will bring the area’s rich royal history to life through augmented reality allowing visitors of all ages to interact with characters and take part in activities at each location.

Tourism St Andrews has launched a beach wheelchair initiative, which has proved extremely successful, enabling many families to enjoy the delights of the town’s beaches and golf courses, whilst its Ask Andrew ambassador programme has guided visitors around the historic town.

The launch of the V&A in Dundee has provided an exciting opportunity for Fife to attract visitors to the attraction to make onward trips to the region. On the other side of Fife, there has been an increase in the number of cruise ships into Rosyth, passengers on which have been taken to a host of local attractions.

Events also bring £18 million to Fife’s economy each year, with more than 200,000 people attending events across the region annually. Fife Tourism Partnership and Fife Council collaborated earlier in 2018 to launch a free toolkit for event organisers across the Kingdom, which provides advice and best practice on delivering events and festivals.

Fife Tourism Partnership Manager Ann Camus, who was recently recognised in Women In Tourism’s Top 100 for her outstanding contributions to tourism in Fife, said: “Fife’s tourism sector continues to thrive. We have always taken a collaborative approach to the region’s tourism offering and this year has been no exception - local businesses are at the heart of what we do. There is a clear appetite for visitors coming to Fife as a tourist destination, further marked by a 76 per cent increase of users to welcometofife.com, coupled with reaching over seven million people internationally through our Fife Five campaign with VisitScotland.”

Ann added: “We have plenty to be excited about over the coming months, and I am confident it will be well received by local, national and international visitors to continue developing and growing Fife’s prosperous tourism industry.”