A round up of the latest opportunities and information for businesses in the National Park.
Scotland’s Climate Week theme was ‘Stories for Change’, encouraging people to share stories about the action they are taking to tackle the climate emergency, to educate and inspire others. And with healthy peatland being one of our biggest assets in the fight to tackle climate change, we marked the week with a celebration of the ‘Power of Peatland’!
We kicked off the week with some fast facts, like – sphagnum moss can hold ten times it’s weight in water, acting as a great flood mitigator, and around 36% of the National Park is covered in peatland, that stores around 20 million tonnes of carbon.
Our Peatland ACTION Project Officer Guy Cole, shared his thoughts on the recent IUCN Peat Programme Conference, and took a look at one of the contractors carrying out important peatland restoration work in the National Park.
This year, we’re excited to be working on our aim to deliver 1000 hectares of peatland restoration in the National Park. To compare, the city of Glasgow is around 880 hectares, so that’s a lot of peatland being returned to a healthy state and contributing to carbon capture!
But, just as important as these landscape scale projects, are the actions we can all take to help our planet. From driving less to wasting less, our combined efforts can truly help in the fight against climate change.
So, if you’re ready to take action, find out more https://netzeronation.scot/take-action
SEL released two reports recently, one focusing on the economic and social benefits brought about by Scotland’s National Parks, and the other focusing specifically on benefits to the farming sector.
This report emphasises the socio-economic impact of Scotland’s National Parks. It outlines how these parks not only enhance local economies but also provide substantial returns on government investments. The Parks support tourism, job creation, and housing, all while prioritising sustainability.
Key Findings:
This report highlights how farmers in Scotland’s National Parks, benefit from a combination of agricultural support and park-specific funding. These resources aid in nature restoration, biodiversity improvement, and sustainable farming practices. The integration of farming with conservation efforts enhances both environmental and economic outcomes for rural communities.
Key Findings:
An amazing 5,137 visitors and residents used the Trossachs Explorer service during its run from 1st July to 30th September 2024. significantly surpassing our expectations, and the hope is that similar public transport services will operate in future.
Kenny Auld, Head of Visitor Services for Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, said: “The Trossachs Explorer pilot has exceeded our expectations, proving that there’s a clear demand for more sustainable travel options in the Park. It has helped to improve access for those without cars, given people a choice and freedom to travel, and has shown that more sustainable, reliable public transport has a key role in our goal of becoming a Net Zero National Park by 2035.”
As well as the important role sustainable and reliable public transport has to play in our plans to be a Net Zero National Park, it has also been wonderful to hear the array of positive passenger stories, showing the impact a simple bus service can have on individuals. Perhaps one of the most touching stories came from a young local who had never had access to a car and used the shuttle to explore the Park. He shared that riding the Trossachs Explorer opened his eyes to how beautiful his country truly is—an experience that was previously out of reach for him.
So, Trossachs Explorer, we hope this is not goodbye; but ‘see you later’!
Don’t forget, your feedback can help inform future sustainable travel projects, please tell us what you think: https://strathbusiness.qualtrics.com/…/SV_eai2jaPXabdXHWm
Read the full success story here.
West Highland Way Post-season Workshop
A free online/in person post-season workshop for West Highland Way businesses will take place on 29th October. Topics will include updates on the trail itself from the WHW team, progress towards charitable status and then it will be over to you for a quick round the table update as to how your season has gone. There will also be the chance for Q&A and networking with others. It will be a great chance to share experiences and catch up before a well-earned post-season break. Register now to secure your place:
In person – Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park HQ
Date: Tuesday 29th October 2024
Time: 09:30-11:30
Location: West Highland Way c/o LLTNPA, Carrochan, Carrochan Road, Balloch, G83 8EG
Register via: Eventbrite.
There is also an opportunity to join the workshop online (10:00-11:30). Register via: Eventbrite. If you have any queries or ideas, please email us: whw@lochlomond-trossachs.org
And, speaking of the West Highland Way, to mark the 44th anniversary of the opening, new this year is the 2024 gallery’ A Natural Tour’, featuring our interactive storymap, nature/wildlife photos sent in by walkers and special collections on Wild Strathfillan and Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels.
Food Tourism Industry Guide
VisitScotland and Food and Drink Scotland have produced a new ‘Food Tourism Industry Guide’ which aims to highlight what Food Tourism is, how it can benefit businesses and how places can develop quality experiences for tourists and locals alike.
With food and drink being a fundamental consideration for visitors when choosing destinations, don’t miss out on the opportunity to create impactful experiences that exceed the expectations of visitors, and help you make the most of this lucrative market.
Consultation on Charging for Single-Use Disposable Beverage Cups
The Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024, given Royal Ascent on 8 August 2024, provides new powers requiring suppliers of single-use items to charge a minimum amount for such items, with the policy aim of reducing consumption and therefore reducing the environmental impact of single-use beverage / coffee cups.
The Scottish Government’s consultation on whether businesses should be required to add an additional charge is currently open to 14th November.
The scheme would be similar to the current charges in place for single-use carrier bags, and consumers would be encouraged to use reusable cups. An estimated 388.7m single-use beverage cups were used in Scotland in 2021-22.
VisitScotland Connect Event 2025
Registration for VisitScotland Connect 2025 is open. The flagship national travel trade event will take place on 9-10 April 2025 at P&J Live in Aberdeen, providing Scottish tourism businesses with an opportunity to showcase their products and services, make connections with domestic and international travel trade and grow their business potential.
Hospitality Tipping Practices
Businesses should be aware of changes in legislation, requiring employers to fairly allocate and distribute 100% of all tips, service charges, and gratuities, whether they are cash or electronic, to their employees.
The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act came into effect from 1st October and non-compliance could lead to employment tribunal claims. Under the new Act, businesses must fairly and transparently allocate qualifying tips to workers within one month of the end of the month in which they were received.
It only seems like yesterday we welcomed our 46 Seasonal Rangers as we prepared for the summer season. As always, a massive thank you, we couldn’t possibly achieve our goals without our seasonal staff. Over the season the Ranger Team *delivered:
Patrols
930 Land Patrols
249 Water Patrols
Camping Byelaw Enforcement
Details Taken – 896
Formal Notification letters issued 472
Water Safety
Engaged 1520 members of the public at events
Delivered water safety education to 1158 school pupils
Engagement
3056 boats launched at DMMS
BVC welcomed 110,803 visitors
Worked with 26 Schools, supporting over 1,000 pupils
(*Stats are indicative only, End of season reports still being finalised)
Our permanent team will now focus on the winter work programme, including supporting nature restoration projects like Wild Strathfillan, path maintenance, and the removal of invasive non-native species.
Other work incudes preparing for the introduction of the of new Loch Lomond Byelaws, which following a review and 12 week public consultation in 2022, will come into force on 1st November, 2024.
Conic Hill path upgrade works
Throughout the summer, contractors continued to work on Conic Hill path upgrade. They are now onto the last section of the path leading up to the top of the hill, and they will continue working and snagging until the path is ready for visitor season next year.
End-of-season work
Now that the camping management byelaw season has come to an end, we have started to gather and review feedback and information from a wide range of sources, like communities, staff and partners. This information will be used to inform our End of Season Report which outlines key insights from the season and helps us to plan for the following year. The full report will be published in December.
We’ll also be catching up with community and partner Visitor Management Groups in our post-season meetings. These groups provide valuable insight to our communities and the support they need during a busy visitor season.