22 Jun Skye Iconic Sites Project gets the green light on funding

OATS’ Skye Iconic Sites Project (SISP), is one of four projects in the Highlands and Islands to share a £2.6 million European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) award to promote the outstanding scenery, wildlife and culture of the Highlands and Islands.

The funding has been awarded through the Natural Cultural and Heritage Fund, led by NatureScot. The fund invests in projects in the Highlands and Islands that improve the experience of visitors exploring the region’s nature and culture, and support jobs in remote and rural areas.

The funding announcement news release from NatureScot – https://www.nature.scot/additional-ps26m-award-highlands-islands-tourism

John Ross coverage in The Press & Journal – https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands/2973346/visitor-sites/

SISP will help to address the lack of tourist infrastructure and co-ordinated interpretation on the Isle of Skye, making improvements to the quality of the visitor experience for a wider and more inclusive range of people at three of its most iconic and busiest sites – the Old Man of Storr, the Quiraing and the Fairy Pools.

This will be achieved through the development of access infrastructure – paths, bridges, and viewpoints; path and habitat restoration and rehabilitation; and a programme of co-ordinated interpretation through information points and signage, together with promotion, marketing and joined-up thinking within the wider context of Skye as a visitor destination.  The coordinated interpretive plan will include the Gaelic language as an essential element.

The project aims to help a wider and more diverse range of people, including the less able and confident, to access the sites and best experience them, providing an improved visitor experience.

Future proofing all three sites should not only encourage tourists to stay longer and explore other areas of the island, thus increasing the levels of spend; it should also ensure that the reputation of the island is maintained or improved as a ‘bucket list’ visitor destination.

NatureScot’s Skye Iconic Sites Project – https://www.nature.scot/skyes-iconic-sites-project