An open meeting was held recently at Oban Sailing Club that has shape-changing capacities for Argyll and the Isles and for Scotland.
It was agreed that a working group will be set up to create a Marine Tourism Hub.
That working group will include key members of the marine tourism industry in the area: Outside Edge, Stramash, Craobh Haven Watersports, Coastal Connections, Atlantis, and Oban Sailing Club and will be supported in its creation by Argyll Voluntary Action and Argyll and the Isles Tourism.
The purpose of the hub will be to develop, encourage, support, market and sustain the marine tourism industry.
The organisation is not intending itself to be a provider of watersports services.
It aims to become the Scottish hub for marine based leisure activities that tourists and community alike can enjoy, based in Oban.
The watersports industry will be structured, networked and grown so as to make living and visiting the West Coast of Scotland attractive and rewarding.
The initiative will be industry-led, with a remit to focus on priorities agreed at the meeting in each of the five areas identified as being necessary for success:
- Events and marketing
- Infrastructure
- Networking
- Education and training
One of the priorities agreed is to co-ordinate and publish, in conjunction with existing online diaries, a comprehensive schedule of events and activities happening in marine tourism in the area. This should be available on the For Argyll and Oban Town Diary in the near future.
Mike Story of Argyll and the Isles Tourism says of the outcomes:
‘I was delighted to see such a great turnout of enthusiastic people all getting behind the development of a Marine Tourism hub.
‘Argyll and the Isles Tourism’s premise of ‘stronger together’ applies right across geographic and sectoral areas, with Marine tourism an undoubted pillar of tourism development in our area’
In For Argyll’s view, this is exactly the sort of initiative to drive Argyll and the Isles forwards with one of our major strengths to the fore – our marine and marine activities resources.
There is evidence of recognition at all levels of government that there is a growing and rooted demand for activity tourism and that Scotland – and Argyll in particular – has the capacity to serve this need and tjis market uniquely well.
Note: Those interested in being part of this industry initiative – which will benefit Scotland as well as Argyll and the Isles, should email: marinetourismhub@hotmal.com
Another excellent example of people coming together for the benefit of businesses, tourism and the community. It’s all happening in Argyll!
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Sorry we missed this meeting. We were away at the time… Wishing everyone the very best… regards Adrian.
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An excellent idea and I wish it well , but why o why must everything be about Oban , why not make the hub Mid Argyll Crinan or Tarbert or both ?
Many parts of Argyll have been left to rot while Oban gets everything. Sickening .
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Nobody is getting anything. It is the local community working together. If other communities want to do it get on and do it. Look at Tobermory and Lochaline as good examples.
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Fine ,great idea but where are the facilities that is required to take this forward,every time there is a an initiative to increase amenities for the floating tourist and locals alike there is a stop put on it it by local authority as this does not fit the bigger picture!! does anybody know what this bigger picture is ?? Lets hope with a change of council leader we now get some clarity and help to move forward .Best of luck to the new initiative .
Regards
Brian
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Brian – this organisation is not about amenities per se – but, as an industry led body, it will clearly be a lobby force to be reckoned with. This is necessary.
As you say, there needs to be a strategic policy linkage between the industry, local authorites and planning.
In Oban itself – the base for this body – a good place to start would be to pull the local marine tourism industry together with councillors, area committee reps, aarchitect and planners – and have a seriously good look at the area from and including the sailing club to above the Cardingmill pontoons.
This are is on the cusp of taking an irreversibly wrong direction, with a load of ad hoc solutions to a range of needs.
If this area were taken as a whole, with a coordinated purpose focused on marine actities, well conceived functions and a guiding aesthetic. this could drive a gear change for Oban.
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Newsroom you are out of date! The area you refer to is not “on the cusp of taking an irreversibly wrong direction with a load of ad hoc solutions”. A users group has already been set up to look at potential ideas/solutions for the area and through discussions with this group, the two groups hoping to put up storage areas there are no longer doing this. The users group is ideally placed to discuss potential options with the owner of the land- Argyll and Bute Council.
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Good news – but this needs more than a users group and the council, although it needs serious commitment and input from both.
It will benefit in every way -in community ‘ownership’ and in aesthetics – from engaged masterplanning and architectural shaping of a sensitivity Aberdeen did not find in the concrete jungle of the proposed redesign of Union Gardens. Close to home, there’s the shudder that was the council’s favoured plan for Colquhoun Square.
Getting this one right would be an inspiring step forwrads for Oban and lay more foundatlons to support the town’s entirely realisable ambitions.
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