Face to Face - Tourist Information in The Borders
When Visit Scotland announced the closure of all their twenty five remaining remaining visitor centres earlier this year, it felt like a gut punch to those of us, like me, who enjoy using these face to face spaces to enhance their stay in a place. Visit Scotland do of course have their well thought out reasons for closing these centres (known as iCentres), primarily focusing on the fact that visitors plan holidays before they leave home - the approach is now ‘Digital First’. While I am sure they have the data to back this up, in my short experience of tourism so far I have had a roughly 50/50 split of pre planned tour bookings and last minute ‘on the ground’ recommendations, so a decision to go digital first potentially leaves small visitor economy businesses vulnerable…
Thankfully, since November 2022 we have had a face to face offering here in the Tweed Valley, with the Go Tweed Valley visitor information centre in Peebles, funded and managed by the Tweed Tourism BID (Business Improvement District). I have had several bookings based on the recommendations of the staff here, so with The Borders only Visit Scotland iCentre at Jedburgh facing closure on 30 September, I wanted to highlight how important Go Tweed Valley has been to me, and put across my case for why face to face visitor/tourist information must still have a place in an increasingly digital world…
Manager Sarah McNeil offers a warm welcome to anyone popping into the centre, located in the Chambers Institution (formerly a Visit Scotland location). By her own admission Sarah can be asked just about ANYTHING. Such is the nature of dealing with the public, but this is what people want on the ground - a friendly, helpful and knowledgeable local who can help them get what it is they need. Sarah’s primary focus is to help promote the Go Tweed Valley BID businesses throughout the area, however with her local knowledge she is able to go beyond this and give visitors the sort of bang up to date insight you simply can’t get in a book or website. In Sarah’s own words, visitors “find it refreshing to be able to speak face to face with a person on the High Street, helping to enhance their visit”. As well as day to day visitor enquiries, the centre has also hosted events promoting local business and enriching the offering in the area. Sarah has also had a fair number of curious locals popping in to air their views on the visitor economy, often leaving with a fistful of leaflets and an enhanced appreciation on what’s on their doorstep! As I alluded to earlier, I have now had a number of tour bookings (including my first cycle path tour!) through the recommendations of Go Tweed Valley, so I am a big advocate for places like this on our High Streets, particularly as Visit Scotland phase their centres out. Communities need to evolve and react, as every corner of Scotland relies on the visitor economy.
Well done to all at Go Tweed Valley for bringing visitor information back to Peebles High Street, and to the many local businesses who fund it through the BID, all of whom will soon decide if Go Tweed Valley will run for a second BID term of 5 years. I believe that having this presence in Peebles has the Tweed Valley well placed to navigate the challenges ahead for tourism in Scotland, and to offer the best possible experience for anyone visiting our great wee nook of the country. It is very hard work getting visitors here so our job is to attract a wide variety and make sure that when they do come here that the experience and welcome they receive is warm and memorable. Click the link below to find out more about the centre…
Visitor Information Centre — Go Tweed Valley, Scotland
The Go Tweed Valley visitor centre is based on Peebles High Street, within the Chambers Institution. The visitor centre is open from Wed to Sat (10am to 3pm) from November to March and from Tues to Sat (10am to 4pm) from April to October.
