Case Studies

SCOTO and Community Led Tourism

SCA network to network digital exchange

Dumfries town centre showing a row of shops and cafes with two women in conversation on a bench.

SCOTO is a rapidly growing network seeking to grow, develop and raise awareness of community led tourism and secure added value from tourism for Scotland’s people and places. Community Led Tourism in the 3rd sector is a about visitor facing experiences which are delivered by the local community via social or other enterprise models which are not for profit and deliver social, economic and/or environmental benefits for the community.

This learning exchange offered networks the opportunity to identify which communities they are working with who are providing visitor services, facilities and experience and how those communities can develop, manage and promote their community as a destination.

The outcome was increased partnership opportunities between SCOTO and Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland to measure impacts of events and festivals on local tourism and with Scottish Island Federation to share expertise on the impact of cruise ships in Orkney – how the community are shaping tourism around this on their terms.

Learning Outcomes

  • To deliver positive impacts for people, places and planet: measuring impact – what difference is tourism making in communities?
  • To prioritise the common and shared interests of visitors, businesses and residents – send of place and place branding for locals and the host community.
  • To deliver enduring benefits for the whole community beyond the more limited short term interests of the tourism and hospitality industry – things that matter to our communities in place planning and action planning to recalibrate tourism.

"Responsible tourism is a collaborative approach which places an onus on all tourism players to take responsibility for their actions. It seeks to protect our people, places and the planet by reducing negative impacts and ensuring as an absolute minimum they are no worse off. COMMUNITY LED TOURISM goes further. CLT seeks added value from all tourism players and activity ensuring our people and our places are better off as a consequence of tourism – and in a way that matters to that specific community."