There has been much debate in recent years about the role of Tourist Information Centres (TICs) and in many areas across the UK, the decision has been taken to close a number of these sites.

When VisitScotland and the 14 Area Tourist Boards were merged almost two years ago, there was some concern in the industry that TICs in Scotland might have a similar fate.

The TIC network in Scotland costs £10m to operate and contributes just half of that to its running costs by way of sales and commissions.

The main reason for closures in the rest of the UK was the cost of operating TICs. So industry concerns were justified and when the word ‘review’ was mentioned by VisitScotland, there was a degree of suspicion.

To his credit, Willie Macleod – VisitScotland’s director of visitor services and quality – commissioned consumer research and created an advisory group made up from VisitScotland staff, industry and some local authorities. Partly as a result of some badgering from me on behalf of visitor attractions, I was invited to join the group.

Initially I was mildly sceptical about the benefits of the process but as the meetings evolved and research findings were relayed back to us, I came to thinking that industry comments and suggestions had been heeded, as had visitor feedback.

Essentially what the visitor research showed was that there were very high satisfaction levels with the TIC offering – 91 per cent said the TIC completely met their needs. At last the visitor has a voice and maybe it is time they were listened to. Reviews and closures in the past appear to have focused only on costs and did not take into account the needs of the visitor.

Indeed, the visitors wanted even more from a visit to a TIC. They really valued the human touch but felt that they wanted more inspiration from a visit with a wish for more ‘insider’ local knowledge and recommendations.

Some weaknesses were also highlighted. These included operating hours, poor signage and a perception that the general experience was slightly staid. But the important thing was that TICs were seen as a valuable source of information for visitors in Scotland.

The consultants pinpointed a number of weaknesses including out of date stock, lack of EPoS, unsuitability of the interior layout for retail and a lack of themes.

They did make suggestions about more suitable areas of retail such as showcasing/selling local arts and crafts, local produce and what they call distress goods, those things you just need to buy at the time, ranging from pens to umbrellas. So if the recommendations are followed the areas of overlap could be minimised considerably.

The most exciting thing that the review threw up was the potential for increased partnership working. This is not new, as there are many sites in more remote areas where this is already the case. But it is not only in remote areas where this can work.

Recently in Bo’ness, the TIC was relocated from a seasonal site in a car park to the same site as the area’s biggest attraction – Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway, which attracts over 60,000 visitors each year. At the old car park site, footfall to the TIC was around 4,000 per year, so with a potential of 60,000 people, this offers a great opportunity to attract additional visitors to the TIC and the potential to sell tickets (for a commission) for other leisure based activities in the area or indeed further afield. And the other benefit is that collectively, the trust that runs the railway and the other partners are working on finding a way to allow the TIC to be open all year. Hopefully a win-win situation!!

Of course, there are other considerations but partnership working does offer enormous potential. There is likely to be a need for ‘gateway’ TICs, predominantly in the cities and some larger towns that are already significant destinations in their own right, but siting them where there is existing footfall makes eminent good sense; and should bring measurable benefits to the partnership site. The potential savings to VS are considerable. Currently the operating cost of partnership sites is one quarter of its traditional sites.

We will be having an initial meeting with VisitScotland to discuss the principles of partnership working for suitable visitor attractions in the near future. If you have views you would like inputted into this, please let me know [email protected]

Eva McDiarmid