Jess brings Aberdeen alive. “Hello, how can I help you?” He smiles welcomingly as he produces a map of the city too large to print at home.
He listens patiently to the places I’ve been to in a dozen previous visits, and marks a half-dozen more places on the map that I haven’t been to. Unfortunately, there seems to be no place for people like Jess in 21st century Britain anymore. Visit Scotland recently announced plans to cancel its last 25 tourist information ‘iCentres’ within two years.
The tourist board’s form was circulated to 39 centers in 2017. According to outgoing chairman Lord Thurso, this is a no-brainer. “It would be my mistake not to prepare the organization for the future,” he says. “We need to look at where we can invest our resources and expertise to create the biggest economic impact.
“We can do this by focusing on providing information to visitors before they leave, after conducting a thorough review. “The world around us has changed, and we have no choice but to change with it.”
Lord Thurso assures there will be no “overnight change” and all iCentres will remain open until at least September. He also says there will be no compulsory redundancies, but that’s not the full picture when I walk into another iCentre and ask anonymous staff how they feel.
“Only full-time staff will be retained. All of us seasonal workers will be gone,” says one. “This is devastating for us and for the visitors who use iCentre, especially the more mature who are less tech-savvy. People will be given maps, accommodation and tips.” We help you with this.
“But it’s so much more, because people love that personal contact. Scotland is known as a welcoming country and we are the face of that. This is something you can’t get online.
As if on cue, a Dutch visitor and his daughter chime in to agree how useful they find this iCentre, emphasizing that “you can’t replace people with a computer.”
You may not be able to completely replace people with computers, but that probably won’t dissuade other tourist offices from trying online as part of a wider trend towards face-to-face.
But Scotland also offers lessons for finding positive solutions to the absence of expensive state-supported personal services in the form of community-led tourism.
SCOTO (Scottish Community Tourism) and its network are at the forefront of this growing trend. Managing director Carron Tobin highlights several community-run knowledge centres: “These are run by passionate local people willing to provide a warm welcome to their community and face-to-face answers to questions; You’ll be surprised what people ask! Yes, people are making decisions and booking online before they travel, but once they get there it’s the local welcome and ‘here and now’ advice that counts.”
Bùth Bharraigh Ltd on the island of Barra (a community social enterprise providing products and services for visitors and locals) stepped in when the Visit Scotland tourist information center closed in 2017. Manager Sarah MacLean explains: “We have been providing tourist information and accommodation finding services for Barra and Vatersay for almost a decade.
“We also have laundry, bike rental, free Wi-Fi, tea and coffee and printing services. “Our service is vital in providing people with information and also helping them make the most of their time in Barra.”
Something that is far beyond what an official center can do. “It’s a problem for people if the ferry is late,” MacLean adds. “They might be a solo traveler coming to an island for the first time and feeling a little scared. “We will be open to welcoming them with a smile and helping them.”
I have spoken to dozens of SCOTO members in recent years. The phrase I keep hearing is “transient locals,” the idea that community tourism brings visitors closer to the community in a symbiotic relationship. Another shining SCOTO member is the Loch Ness Hub. When this Visit Scotland tourist information center closed, few dreamed of salvation. But the local community had other ideas. United around a passionate village meeting, the center reopened in the summer of 2021.
“When people walk in we want to give them a proper local welcome and insightful local advice,” says the Hub’s Russell Fraser. “We want to be their first point of contact and leave them having a good experience. People remember when you go above and beyond.
Perhaps encouraged by the success of these community-focused projects, other tourism agencies are also reacting. Visit Aberdeenshire’s CEO Chris Foy has already led a community volunteer guide program to welcome arrivals to Aberdeen’s new cruise ship port. “We are looking at having a small pop-up space there, being more agile and responding to demand without needing a large landmark information center,” he says.
Private businesses are also monitoring events closely. “There will be a real gap with the closure of Visit Scotland,” says Iain Fenwick of listing app Perthshire Local. “We connect visitors and businesses in a direct way, and it works very well in the field. “When people realize we have local knowledge and their spend goes directly back to Perth, they love using our app and don’t miss out on traditional centres.”
The conclusion of Visit Scotland, while disappointing, excites SCOTO’s Tobin: “exploring community responses and showcasing local unique experiences to recalibrate tourism in local areas and provide much-needed local knowledge and inspiration.”
“The next two years will be ample time to evaluate the possibilities and reflect on successes elsewhere.”
Tourist information centers in England are under threat
Scotland is certainly not alone in the closure of tourist information centres; Across the UK some are being closed or at risk.
Norwich
Information centers operated separately by cities in England are also under threat. In 2021, the decision has been made to close Norwich’s once-popular city center resource due to budget issues, with Norwich council moving to recognize what it calls a “growing digital world”, saving more than £100,000 a year.
Morecambe and Lancaster
The closure of Morecambe Visitor Information Center and Lancaster Visitor Information Centre, which each have annual running costs of around £250,000, was announced last year. The council was quoted as saying the closures occurred as part of a plan.
“A long-term review of how the municipality provides tourist information both online and in person,” with talk of the funds being used for both high-tech information systems and increased marketing.
Summit Region
As Telegraph Travel reported in the spring of last year, four visitor centers in Bakewell, Castleton, Edale and the Upper Derwent Valley were under threat of closure at a time when the UK’s national parks had never been busier. These centers in the Peak District collectively attract 400,000 people a year and provide a personalized information service.
In June 2023, park management announced a surprise and welcome postponement after a charity stepped in to provide three years of funding while alternative plans were formulated to avoid permanent closure.
Vinccombe
Located in the Winchcombe Museum building, this tourism information center was funded by Winchcombe Borough Council, which decided to close it last month due to “changes in the way customers access tourist information”. Instead they want to “direct the money towards other ways of promoting Winchcombe as a tourist destination”.
Chesterfield
Chesterfield Borough Council has announced it will “digitise the service”, defying more than 4,000 campaigners who signed a petition to close the center this year. Campaigners argued that not everyone will be able to access the new digital-only systems and may find them confusing, even when compared to face-to-face communication.
totnes
The council’s decision to close the information center in Totnes was based on both community consultation and the receipt of only 2,279 personal applications in 2023; www.visittotnes.co.uk received more than 330,000 visits. The council estimates the closure will save around £95,000 a year.
Medway
Operated by Visit Medway, this information center offered visitors a chance to “get local information, visit the art gallery and buy souvenirs”. He brought life and knowledge to Rochester High Street. It will close completely on April 19, 2024. Local resident Daniel Parsons says: “It’s a real shame as when I have friends visiting we always pop in here for a friendly introduction to the area.”
caerphilly
Caerphilly town’s popular tourist information center Coffi Vista, which opened in 1995, has kept up with the times, adding a coffee lounge and changing its name. That didn’t stop Caerphilly Borough Council’s decision to close the popular center this spring, as it struggles with a huge gap in its finances. Staff complained the closure was a “step backwards” at a time when the Welsh Government is trying to grow tourism.
Alternative Technology Center, Corris
The Alternative Technology Centre, an innovative knowledge centre, has been based at Corris near Machynlleth in Wales since the 1970s. It is a “showcase of solutions to combat climate change” and also an information centre. It has attracted the attention of thousands of tourists and educational visits for decades. The facility, run by a charity, closed to day visitors in 2023.
North Ireland
Although no plans have been announced for a mass closure of official tourist information centers such as Scotland, local travel journalist and radio presenter David Gordon says: “There is no doubt that local authorities in Northern Ireland will be watching very carefully what is happening in Scotland.”
The official ‘Visitor Information Plan for NI’ sounds worrying. “It aims to maximize the potential opportunities of the changing scope of visitor information and the opportunities provided by the existing Visitor Information Center network.”