Case Studies

Cross-sector Learning exchange

The benefits of community led tourism in Lunan Bay and East Haven

People on a wooden platform looking over Lunan Bay, Angus

The Exchange was delivered as a cross-sector partnership to enable community organisations and groups from different parts of the sector to see first hand how they might recalibrate their spaces around community led tourism. An approach that, when managed with the community at it’s heart, can lead to greater sustainability, resilience in support of less extractive models of tourism- keeping wealth circulating locally.

Learning Outcomes

Lunan Bay Communities Partnership

  • Exploring the role and impact of a community-led ranger service in improving visitor management, community wellbeing and outdoor education.
  • Learning how community-led projects, such as the new all-abilities viewing platform at Lunan Bay, can be delivered by engaging businesses with corporate social responsibility commitments and other key stakeholders to provide vital visitor infrastructure.
  • Exploring how business-led collaborations can provide sustainable income streams for community projects, drawing on examples such as the Make Travel Matter campaign with Trafalgar Travel & Arbikie Distillery Experience, and other scalable commercial models.

East Haven Together:

  • Participants will learn how story telling and art have been used to engage people from across the world in promoting the history and heritage of this small coastal community.
  • Participants will gain insight into how nudge strategies have been used to influence and change public behaviours.
  • Participants will learn more about how visitors value the natural environment of East Haven and are actively engaged in helping to protect and conserve the amenity.

Community Organisation:
Torridon District Community Association, Twechar Community Action, Thurso Community Development Trust, Luss Parish Chrurch, Lossiemouth Community Development Trust, Pitlochry Town Hall

Exchange Host Partners:
Lunan Bay Community Partnership, East Haven Together

SCA Endorsing Network Member:
Development Trust Association Scotland, Scottish Community Tourism Network

"It was very interesting meeting these other communities and hearing their stories, achievements and challenges - it was a delight to see the dedication to their area and the environment. Engaging businesses with social responsibility is something we'd like to explore more and there are plenty of visitor attractions that we can try to collaborate with to try provide sustainable income streams for community projects that our Town Hall can deliver - this was a great light bulb moment, as we believe the community should benefit more directly from the huge volume of tourists can use our facilities and infrastructure, and not just an income stream to the businesses the tourists visit. "