Community led tourism
Tourism is a resourceful way for Scotland’s towns to bring in additional spend, support business viability, celebrate our culture and heritage and animate our town centres. It can also help the community tackle social isolation, increase the viability of local services and facilities, provide living wage jobs and retain young people.
Prior to the pandemic there was a strong focus on tourism growth and success was measured by footfall, bed nights and spend. However, increasingly there has been a global refocus on tourism being a facilitator of change, with a shift from pursuing sustainable tourism which focuses on reducing harm and maintaining the status quo to regenerative tourism which actively works to restore, renew and improve the environment and local communities.
SCOTO CIC is Scotland’s national infrastructure organisation for community led tourism and advocate for regenerative tourism policy and practice.
Community Led Tourism
Community led tourism, is not new but it is gaining significant traction as more and more communities across Scotland acquire assets and are providing visitor services, facilities and experiences. Scotland’s community empowerment legislation is world leading and has been further boosted with the landmark Community Wealth Building Act 2026.
Communities are increasingly stepping in where the public sector step back faced by unprecedented financial pressures. Much needed local services and facilities are being cut back and often closed – toilets, visitor information, paths, transport, libraries and local hubs and halls. Meanwhile communities are recognising the absolute need to provide these services to ensure not just our local but also our visitors’ needs are met and the overall Scottish visitor experience is the best it can be in their community. Communities are seeing the opportunity to take over these services and be innovative in making these viable alongside other enterprising activity, and as a prime means to grow local social, environmental, cultural and economic wealth.
Browse examples of community led tourism in action here, including:
Community Led Destination Development, Management and Promotion
A specific area where Scotland is leading the way is in community led destination development, management and promotion where host communities are being empowered to ensure tourism no longer happens to them and is co-created with community interests to the fore.
‘Tourism happens to us’ was the most resounding comment heard by SCOTO following engagement with over 420 community groups and organisations in 2023. Triggering the development of an innovative programme, SCOTO Press Pause© facilitates local conversations with the community and businesses about solutions and different approaches to tourism in their area.
Many of our towns and villages have undertaken community action planning and/or local place planning. Through extensive engagement these communities have identified the key issues they want to address in their communities and have spatial plans and prioritised actions over 3 – 5 year periods. What often isn’t understood is that tourism can be a means to an end and support the realisation of these priority themes.
SCOTO Press Pause® empowers these and other communities to explore their destination competence and to better understand their sense of place as the basis for local place branding, and how they are presented to the outside world.
Browse examples of communities who have undertaken Press Pause® here, including:
Reach out to SCOTO to find out more about SCOTO Press Pause® and how this could support your town and community
Join the SCOTO network – its free for individuals and there are numerous opportunities to engage, tap into resources and meet peers. Whatever is on your mind, it’s also on someone else’s mind and nothing beats peer to peer learning and support.