Campaign to promote Heartlands of Fife relaunches after lockdown

New branding has been added to merchandising and brochures and pull-out maps distributed to a huge number of businesses in a bid to enc0urage more tourists to visit.

The Heartlands of Fife initiative was first launched in 2018 to showcase the ancient sites, facilities natural heritage and tourist attractions across a wide area stretching from Kelty to Kirkcaldy, the Wemyss, Glenrothes and Leven.

The aim was to bring the area out of the shadow of the East Neuk and St Andrews which soak up big numbers of visitors.

Members of the Heartlands Local Tourism Association have backed the new branding, which was launched this week at the Enlightments Centre in the east end of Kirkcaldy’s High Street.

The new logo highlights the area’s diversity, against an outline of the Lomond Hills.

The initiative has been led by Councillors Ian and Alistair Cameron - and they are keen to hear from any business which can support it.

Said Ian: “The Heartlands of Fife is a huge area with a lot of variety.

“It has everything from modern towns to industrial heritage, lovely beaches and parks, the Meedies, and great natural resources such as Fife Coastal Path.

“We have so much to talk up and talk about.”

The brochure has an augmented reality activation for Jess the Jester who is the playful and informative guide to the successful In the Footsteps of Kings app which is free to download - and allows people to explore the rich history of places such as Ravenscraig Castle using the latest digital technology.

The campaign aims to persuade more people to spend time exploring the area, and to get as many businesses on board to help promote it.

The pandemic delayed its full launch but now, almost 18 months on, it is in full swing with hoodies and t-shirts on sale at the Enlightenments and Cluny Activities.

Added Ian: “From the beginning of the process of creating the brand local buy in was essential. We set out to inspire, inform and engage with all stakeholders the most important of which are our local communities.

“In the Heartlands we have a proud industrial heritage with decent hardworking people who have a strong community spirit. It is this pride that is so important to our local tourism offering. It is part of our story.”

Alistair said: “Local people are very much part of this story. It is for them as much as it is for visitors.

“They know our heritage inside out.”

He also urged businesses to get in touch if they can take the brochures and Z-cards.

“So many businesses have opened up since we first launched, and we would love them to get in touch,” he added.

“We have already put the information into many hotels, B&Bs, cafes and restaurants, but would welcome more getting in touch. We are getting good traffic online which they can tap into.

“Now we are out of lockdown we are also getting round as many as we possibly can.”

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