Updates for Businesses – July

Welcome to Instagram, National Park Youth Committee

We’re proud to support the passionate young people behind the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Youth Committee, a dedicated group of 14–26-year-olds who are volunteering their time helping to shape the future of the National Park.

From influencing decisions on climate change and rural transport to leading conservation efforts and youth-led projects, the Youth Committee is making their voice heard where it matters most.

Now, they’ve taken their next exciting step: launching their own Instagram channel – created by them, managed by them, and designed to inspire other young people to care, connect and get involved in celebrating and protecting our National Park.

They have already been sharing a mix of content including insights as to what being a YC member involves, from working on key areas and with our Board and staff members, to how they personally connect with nature, as part of recently launched Nature Connections campaign. 

👉 Follow their journey on Instagram @lomondtrossachsyouth
👉 Like, share and support their work

Your support will help build their profile, grow their reach, and give momentum to their youth-led survey launching later this year.

Thanks for your support!

The Trossachs Explorer is back on the road

The Trossachs Explorer is back on the road and in its first week operating, the service has transported hundreds of passengers to places in the National Park usually only accessible by car.

Running until 5^th October, this year’s expanded service draws on extensive feedback and evaluation from 2024, when 91% of surveyed passengers said they would use the shuttle bus again. New improvements include an extension to the route, now starting from Drymen, better connections to existing public transport services, new local operator McColls, and more accessible buses.

Our Chief Executive, Gordon Watson said: “Following the success of last years’ service, we’re delighted to welcome the Trossachs Explorer back on the road this summer – helping visitors and residents to build deeper connections with nature, while doing their part to reduce emissions and protect our National Park for future generations.

“Services like this prove that rural areas can lead the way in demonstrating multiple benefits to visitors, residents and local businesses. But true sustainability can only be achieved through long-term investment and partnership. This expanded pilot allows us to continue to gather the insight and evidence needed to develop long-term transport solutions across the entire National Park.”

More information about The Trossachs Explorer, including timetables, prices and route details, is available on here. 

And if you use the service, please don’t forget to share your feedback by completing this survey to help us learn what works when it comes to providing more sustainable, accessible transport options in the National Park.

The Local Access Forum – we’re here to help!

Do you need advice on how to resolve a knotty access issue? Is public access affecting the management of your land or business? Are you confused about where you can walk, cycle, ride or swim? The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs Access Forum (LLTAF) can provide independent advice to anyone who seeks it in relation to the access rights introduced under the Land Reform Scotland Act 2003.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s already 20 years since the legislation came into force in 2005. It’s fair to say that although the majority of aspects of the new rights have bedded in well, there are still occasional localised issues and concerns. Although supported by the National Park Authority, the LLTAF is an independent advisory body comprising representatives of a broad range of interests including land managers, access users, local communities and businesses. A key part of the Forum’s role is to provide independent, consensus-based advice to help resolve those very issue and concerns.

Read the full blog here to find out more.

World Female Ranger Week

Last month we celebrated World Female Ranger week by catching up with a couple of our amazing Rangers to find out what inspired them to follow this career path.

Ranger Team Leader Amy Telford joined the National Park as a Seasonal Ranger back in 2019. From growing up near the Lake District National Park to studying Tropical Environmental Science and Ecology & Environmental Sustainability, Amy told us about how she was always destined to work outdoors and protect nature.

As well as working with the National Park to safeguard this special landscape for generations to come, Amy is instilling that appreciation for the natural environment in her kids, with regular hikes and swims around Cashel Forest, their favourite place in the National Park.

“Now I have children, I love seeing nature through their eyes and the pleasure they take in little things they encounter daily, as simple as watching a snail on the path. I think this connection to nature is important, so you can understand your place within it.”

Read more about Amy’s journey.

We also caught up with Seasonal Ranger Beth, who is a recent addition to the National Park Ranger Team. Tune in below for Beth’s story and hear about how she jumped at the chance to apply to work with the National Park.

Visitor Management update

Digital visitor management work
The Visitor Operations team along with the Ranger Service have been working on a digital project that came from the Explore Outdoors CivTech 6 challenge, which asks –  “How do we better plan, manage and respond to the experiences of visitors and communities at visitor hotspots in rural and remote locations?”

In response, a web-based map was developed for the National Park showing real-time data such as footfall, car parks, and weather. This allows us to:

• Anticipate demand and planning for future visitor numbers
• React to sudden increases in visitor numbers
• Reduce irresponsible behaviours
• Monitor trends and the impact of interventions to support investment planning
• Encourage responsible visitor behaviour by educating visitors as to where to park, where to visit, check car park busyness and more
• Assist with digital communications to stakeholders
• Enable organisations to participate in data-driven knowledge sharing across the sector.

The public-facing map went live last summer, providing information for visitors on where, when and how to visit. This draws information from sensors and data sources along with data fed in by National Park Rangers, resulting in a game-changing tool for reviewing activity, understanding visitor patterns, deploying resources and making decisions on managing visitor pressures.

This project is a partnership between the National Park Authority, Interface, Perth and Kinross Council, Stirling Council, The Scottish Government, Censis, Scottish Local Government Digital Office and Whereverly.

This project was nominated and has gone on to be shortlisted for the Scottish Thistle Award for Innovation.

Camping
As expected, permit and campsite occupancy rates are very much dependant on the weather. The recent improvement in the weather, and schools finishing up for the summer break, has seen a rise in camping numbers, particularly last weekend when we were at capacity across almost all permit areas and campsites.

The group application process has seen the busiest year to date. 34 applications were provided permits and/or pitches to camp throughout June and a further 7 applications into July. These allow DofE, Scouts, schools, and social inclusion groups the opportunity to get out into nature.

Ranger service
We have continued our pop-up water safety events, with our next engagement being the World Drowning Prevention Day at on Friday 25^th July at Lomond Shores. These events provide a good opportunity for the National Park Authority to work closely with partners to deliver water safety messaging.

Preparation has begun for the fifth Go Swim Event taking place on Saturday 30th August. The event will again use The Duncan Memorial Slipway. Go Swim is a fantastic platform for swimmers of all ages and abilities to try or improve their outdoor swimming skills in a safe environment.

So far this season, Rangers have engaged with over 2000 people whilst patrolling, and they continue to promote and encourage responsible behaviour, and offer water and fire safety advice.  Unfortunately they have also taken details from 160 people in contravention of the Camping Byelaws and had to remove over 350 bags of litter.

More opportunities for businesses in the National Park

Visitor Levy Latest
Local authorities continue to explore the option of introducing a Visitor Levy. The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act gives local authorities the ability to charge a set percentage on overnight accommodation paid by visitors, with the aim of all money raised being reinvested locally on facilities and services that are used by, or substantially for, leisure and business visitors. The following provides a brief update on progress by each local authority that comprise the National Park:

Stirling Council: Businesses, residents and visitors are encouraged to engage in the public consultation opening on14 July, to 12 October 2025. An online survey will be open between these dates and can be accessed here.

Perth & Kinross Council’s public consultation is now open until 30th September – see link here to the online survey. A refreshed Tourism Strategy & Action Plan (2025-2030) has been also been published, setting out a vision for the next five years and outlines the partner commitments and areas of investment required to ensure its success.

Argyll & Bute Council have appointed an independent agency to analyse over 3300 responses to the public consultation which closed in April. The resulting report will then be presented to the council for a decision on whether to proceed with the introduction of a Visitor Levy. The council are to provide a further update in August.

No further update has been announced by West Dunbartonshire Council who completed an initial public engagement on the potential of a visitor levy earlier this year.

For further information on the Visitor Levy Guidance for local authorities, visit Visitor Levy Guidance I VisitScotland.org.

Deposit Return Scheme
After being initially announced in 2018, the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is now expected to launch on 1 October 2027, with customers paying a refundable deposit for certain single-use drink containers. The deposit return scheme will require consumers to pay a small deposit when they buy a drink in a single-use container and then get the deposit back when they return the empty bottle or can. The scheme aims to reduce littering, increase recycling of single-use drinks containers to 90%, and reduce carbon emissions by nearly 4 million tonnes over 25 years (the equivalent of taking over 90,000 cars off the road).

UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) will be the official operator of the Deposit Return Scheme in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, as a business-led, not-for-profit organisation responsible for designing and delivering the scheme’s infrastructure.

Full details can be found on the UK Government website here. You can also sign up to receive UK DMO’s updates newsletter – follow the ink here.

Doors Open DayDoors Open Days is Scotland’s largest free festival that celebrates places and stories, new and old. The event organised by the Scottish Civic Trust provides members of the public with the opportunity to visit unusual or unexpected hidden gem properties that are not normally open to the public. Doors Open Day is a successful free annual event and businesses and community organisations are invited to participate as a venue within the programme in September.

The festival presents a great opportunity to share your story, engage with local communities and promote what you do. How you get involved is flexible, but could include opening the doors to your venue, hosting a tour or online talk, or providing online information. For further information on how to be part of the event, please follow the link here.

Scottish Outdoor Access Code Guide
A new Outdoor Access Code Guide based on the Scottish Outdoor Access Code has been launched to help visitors enjoy Scotland responsibly. Aimed at visitors in the planning stage of their trip, the 10 Scottish Outdoor Access Code Tips has been translated into five languages (Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Spanish) and gives top tips to visitors on how to behave responsibly and safely across the countryside, whether they be walking or cycling, driving or camping.

Tripadvisor’s summer travel beats report shows that 57% of travellers book activities in advance of reaching their destination (rising to 58% from France), with cultural tours / historical landmarks (38%) and outdoor activities (34%) topping the list. Gen Z and millennials are 78% more likely to book on-trip activities in advance of their trip.
Our landscape and scenery continue to be the biggest influence for visitors to Scotland, with 70% choosing to travel here because of them (Scotland Visitor Survey). So, it’s more important than ever to ensure visitors understand what, and what not, to do when venturing outside.

The Scottish Outdoor Access Code, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, was created to balance the freedom of access to the outdoor with the responsibility to look after the land.

VisitScotland Business Essentials: Bitesize
VisitScotland’s Bitesize Webinars provide an easy-to-understand introduction to important topics which can help you improve and grow your business. As part of VisitScotland’s business support programme, this new series of free to join, 30-minute webinars are open to all Scottish tourism and events businesses. Each webinar provides a short overview of each topic with actionable insights and a chance to ask questions of industry experts.