Real buzz as Fife’s tourism industry hosts conference at Adam Smith Theatre

Organised by Welcome to Fife, it brought together tourism industry leaders, and businesses to delve into the current tourism industry and explore how we can work together to promote and develop the Kingdom as a destination. With the theme of ‘developing new markets’ the conference aimed to share innovative strategies, sustainable practices, travel trade opportunities, emerging trends and more, shaping the tourism landscape in Fife and beyond. Attendees engaged in networking sessions, PechaKucha style presentations and talks from experts within the tourism industry in Scotland.

Sponsored by VisitScotland, with over 160 attendees, the conference was a unique opportunity to meet other tourism and hospitality businesses and local organisations from throughout Fife and beyond. There were also several stalls representing InvestFife, Business Gateway and Developing the Young Workforce.

Speakers shared their expertise on topics ranging from future trends in tourism, AI and the tourism industry and community tourism to agritourism, golf, travel trade, online travel agents and sustainable tourism. Panel discussions sparked conversations on the dynamic challenges and opportunities facing the tourism sector in the current climate.

Hilary Roberts, head of the tourism team at Welcome to Fife - who also chaired the conference - said: “Tourism is a priority industry in Fife, supporting 9% of the areas jobs and adding £450million to the local economy every year. Our team works hard to promote the area as a first-class visitor destination, and to support all businesses operating in the sector.

"The conference was an excellent way to bring people together to learn about developments and opportunities in the industry. It was lovely to see so many people with a passion for tourism at the conference, and feedback so far has been very positive with lots of ideas and further conversations coming out of the day.”

The conference marked an exciting time for Welcome to Fife with the recent launch of its new strategy, the forthcoming Levenmouth rail link opening and several promotional campaigns successfully bringing increasing numbers of visitors to Fife. The conference had a buzz of excitement which reflected Fife as a region as it continues to evolve as a premier destination.