6 minute read
Fiona Nicolson
Wish you were here
Attracting holidaymakers could provide an economic boost to the seafood sector, and help to get its message across to the public
BY FIONA NICOLSON
SCOTLAND’S “blue” economy could be at the beginning of a new era, as the pandemic recedes and seafood businesses are looking at how they can grow, innovate – or start something new. And seafood tourism could be the ideal vehicle for marke� ng their produce.
To give them a hand, Seafood Scotland recently launched “Beyond the Boat”, a pilot campaign aimed at kick-star� ng new seafood-tourism ini� a� ves. It asked the Sco� sh seafood community to propose ideas for ini� a� ves that would provide an innova� ve visitor experience, tell their story and increase revenue, in return off ering tailored advice and guidance to help selected applicants transform their ideas into ac� on.
The appe� te is there, as Karen Galloway, head of retail at Seafood Scotland reports: “We were an� cipa� ng around half a dozen responses, but we received more than 30 – from all over the country. The ideas range from those at the very early stages through to some ini� a� ves that have been underway for a few years, which people now want to grow.”
The seafood tourism ideas submi� ed included, to name a few: crea� ng community seafood fes� vals; fi sh-smoking demonstra� ons; and “catching, cooking and ea� ng” experiences for visitors – like going out to sea with the fi shermen, hauling the creels, catching the fi sh, bringing it back and cooking it.
The number of entries has resulted in a slight rethink, though, as Galloway explains: “We were going to take four businesses through the pilot scheme but due to demand we are looking at how we can provide support for as many businesses that need it.”
Seafood Scotland is now cura� ng a three-month mentoring programme for this purpose.
While seafood-tourism ini� a� ves are already underway in Scotland (such as the Stranraer Oyster Fes� val, which drew 17,000 people in 2019),
This page from top: Serious shucking at the Stranraer Oyster Fes� val; Visitors at the Norwegian Aquaculture Centre; harbour at the Centre (photos: Norsk Havbrukssenter); Karen Galloway; souvenirs at the Norwegian Aquaculture Centre Opposite from top: Beyond the Boat - Fisher in the west of Scotland; Norwegian Aquaculture Centre (photo: Norsk Havbrukssenter); Hamish Macdonell; Glen Garioch dis� llery visitor centre.
Seafood Scotland has taken note of other countries’ successes: “We’re looking at what Norway and Iceland have achieved – that was very much the inspira� on for Beyond the Boat,” Galloway confi rms.
Seafood tourism overseas
And there is much material for inspira� on. Norway has made extensive use of seafood tourism to market its products, through visitor centres, such as the Norwegian Aquaculture Centre in Helgeland, Akvakultur i Vesterålen and Storeblå in Bergen.
The Norwegian Aquaculture centre off ers guided tours, which can be tailored for school children and businesses, and has an onsite shop, dedicated to all things salmon-related, as well as a restaurant and exhibi� on. Akvakultur i Vesterålen describes itself as an “adventure centre for Norwegian aquaculture” where visitors can take a boat ride to see its sizeable fi sh cages (“so big that a Boeing 737 can fi t inside”) and taste its smoked-fi sh products. While at Storeblå, an audio-visual experience takes visitors through the story of the salmon industry, as well as off ering a high-speed boat trip out to sea, to see a fi sh farm.
Fledgling Sco� sh community seafood fes� vals might also like to emulate the success of Iceland’s “Great Fish Day”. Held every August, near Akureyri in the north of the country, this event has drawn 200,000 visitors in the last eight years, a� racted by the seafood buff et, free fi sh tas� ngs and a fi sh exhibi� on, as well as art shows, street theatre and music.
However, inspira� on has not only come from Nordic sources. Scotland’s farming sector has provided fer� le ground for ideas too, as Galloway adds: “We’ve seen the agritourism industry grow here over the last few years, where farmers have diversifi ed into farm tours, farm shops and glamping. People are looking for more local experiences and more access to local food.”
Hamish Macdonell, director of strategic engagement at Salmon Scotland, looks to another iconic Sco� sh product for marke� ng inspira� on. He says: “Whisky has done very well in terms of its visitors centres and that is obviously a model that we would like to imitate – even in a small way.”
He adds: “We see seafood tourism in general and salmon tourism in par� cular as a really useful way of connec� ng with consumers and tourists and showing them what we do, informing them properly on what the issues are and how we go about things.”
And Salmon Scotland also intends to capitalise on these opportuni� es, with plans to create a visitor experience centre to tell the story of Sco� sh salmon farming. First, it has created a mini version, in the form of a portable cinema space for eight people, with a fi lm which takes visitors through the stages of the fi sh farming “journey”. This project was delayed due to the pandemic, but the plan is to roll it out this year, taking it to events such as the Royal Highland Show.
Blowing the myths out of the water
One of the benefi ts of a strong seafood-tourism industry is that it could help address the percep� ons of detractors, as Galloway observes: “There are a lot of myths about the seafood industry and visitors can help dispel these because there’s nothing like seeing a business up close to help you understand the challenges of its environment.
“Whether it’s a fi sherman or fi sh farmer, you can see that the environment is fundamental to their future and the sustainability of their business – including their fi nancial sustainability – and that it’s therefore in their interests to take care of it.”
She believes that visitors will then spread the word: “If they come and see our industry up close and we educate them about the reality of how it works and deliver a great experience, they will then talk about it posi� vely within their own communi� es and networks.”
Macdonell takes a similar view regarding the visitor experience: “If tourists come to an area and see a salmon farm, try the produce, and understand more about the salmon farm and what it does for the community, and how integral it is to those communi� es, we can overcome some of the erroneous myths.”
One of the key messages for visitors is around sustainability, as he adds: “As the demand for protein increases, the UN has iden� fi ed aquaculture as key to feeding the world in the 21st century, and the Sco� sh salmon industry is absolutely central to that.” FF
