Championing The Borders at the Great Tapestry of Scotland
I was delighted to be asked to attend a special event at the Great Tapestry of Scotland (GToS) recently. 23 lovely people from the wider Scottish tourism industry were invited for a behind the scenes look at the Tapestry with refreshments, networking and an opportunity for these professionals to view the exhibit. For almost all of them it was their first visit to Galashiels on the Borders Railway and then on to The Tapestry. So it was an important night for the wider aim of encouraging more visitors to step away from the Edinburgh/Highlands loop. We can only do this in The Borders with the significant assistance of the wider industry and travel trade.
I do not work for GToS of course, so you may wonder what I was doing there. I was delighted to be invited to attend by Sandy Maxwell-Forbes, Centre Director of GToS, and Yvonne Wagoun of White Stag Tourism, the organisers of the event. I know Sandy and Yvonne and they trusted me to really act as a spokesperson for The Borders, pitching it to these professionals and explaining why they should be bringing people here.
This was a significant moment for me, three years into a new industry and being asked to present to fellow professionals on such an important topic. I followed up the wonderful Sarah, Guest Officer at GToS, who explained all about the story of the Tapestry in a really positive and polished presentation. Then it was over to me! I did what I always try to do when public speaking and started with a joke - in this case about Sandy Maxwell-Forbes being descended from blood thirsty Border Reivers. Then on to the topic at hand, why the tourism industry should be looking to The Borders:
Scotland in miniature
Close to the Central Belt
Authentic Scotland
Sense of calm and space
USPs - Abbotsford, Tapestry, Ridings
I then talked about the rich history everywhere locally, including the four abbeys all within a dozen or so miles of each other and the textile heritage, poetic traditions and wonderful, soft landscapes.
I think however when pitching to the tourism industry you have to be fairly open to the challenges we face in The Borders - a bit of real talk. Our brand recognition is nowhere near as strong as ‘The Highlands’ or ‘The Isle of Skye’ or even ‘The Lake District’ if we look south of the border. People in our own country don’t know much about us, let alone those from North America and other key markets. We have GToS now, but it is not a silver bullet. You can’t turn Galashiels from an industrial/post-industrial town to a top visitor attraction overnight - the boldness of putting this 5 star exhibit here must be met with boldness in return from the tourism industry. There is a perception that there isn’t enough to do for an itinerary in The Borders, and crucially do we have the advocates for bringing people here? That’s where I put it back to the industry representatives, hoping they can become strong voices for The Borders. There are great opportunities here for tourism - adding balance to itineraries, a sense of depth for returning visitors, the railway from Waverley as a natural corridor with GToS as a new anchor, the calm and cool option in an increasingly saturated market. Rounding it off, I put it to them that in The Borders they will find a community of professionals who are already demonstrating partnership thinking (demonstrated and exemplified by GToS) and want to do more.
For tourism in Scotland, The Borders isn’t so much a hidden gem, it’s a fully formed chapter waiting to be added to itineraries. My closing words to the professionals in the room were add The Borders to your itinerary now, and your guests will thank you later.
We all then went upstairs where Sarah wonderfully explained some of the hidden, very human stories behind the panels of the tapestry. This was a revelation for me - I have visited the exhibit dozens of times, but hearing these stories of love, grief, humour and more added a new level of richness to the experience – this is authenticity in action. More of this please GToS, it’s a new and wonderfully human layer to what is already a great attraction.
The excellent guide Sarah sharing emotional stories of the stitchers
I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with many of the guests afterwards, sharing more stories of the Borders and talking about the industry with some very influential people, who I have great respect for. All this, plus some exquisite vol-au-vents made it a great evening. They headed off for the train back to Edinburgh, a happy and animated bunch on Channel Street. Thank you Sandy and Yvonne for inviting me along, hopefully another positive step in growing our visitor economy.
