Case studies

Adventure Activities Glencoe: A new way forward

Knowledge Exchange Challenge Fund project between Woodlands Glencoe and UHI Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research

The collaboration was driven by a decline in sales of the company’s core adventure activities over the past two to three years. In response, the project conducted in-depth research and provided recommendations for the development of new products or enhancements to existing offerings, aligned with current and emerging market trends.

A comprehensive review of the company’s marketing strategy for adventure activities was also undertaken, alongside strategic guidance on transitioning towards a regenerative tourism business model.

All findings were compiled into a detailed report and presented to the company, with the goal of equipping them with the insights and tools needed to innovate and adapt. These outcomes are intended to inform both the company’s day-to-day operations and its long-term strategic planning.

The Western Edge

Knowledge Exchange Challenge Fund and Interface Innovation Voucher project between Ardnamurchan Lighthouse Trust and the Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research

A panoramic view of Ardnamurchan Lighthouse on a sunny day with blue skies

As part of a broader initiative to develop a feasible yet impactful marketing strategy, the project worked in partnership with Ardnamurchan Lighthouse Trust to enhance the site’s tourism offering. The aim was to encourage visitors to spend more time on-site and increase revenue-generating opportunities.

To achieve these objectives, the project delivered a series of targeted outputs:

• New audio trail: Stories of Ardnamurchan Lighthouse
  • Hosted on the Geotourist platform
  • Supported by on-site promotional materials including posters, leaflets and QR code signage
  • Developed using community-contributed stories and local voices
• Social media improvements and training
  • Introduction to Meta Business Suite for more effective content management
  • Reactivation and optimisation of the site’s Instagram account
  • Bespoke video tutorials providing personalised social media training
• Social media content bank
  • A curated library of post templates, images, links, and content ideas for future use

The audio trail launched at the end of the tourist season in October 2024 and has already received over 600 views. Additionally, both the Facebook and Instagram accounts have seen an increase in engagement and traffic.

Ritchie Dinnes, Director of Ardnamurchan Lighthouse Trust, commented:

“I can confidently state that the Lighthouse Trust are delighted with the achievements of this initiative. The knowledge and coaching provided by Kendra and Kelly have enabled us to move forward with a far greater understanding of how we can utilise social media to market our site to a wider audience."

Regenerative Tourism at the Telford Corpach Marina

An Interface Innovation Voucher project between the Thomas Telford Corpach Marina and UHI Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research

The project focused on identifying opportunities for the marina to adopt practices aligned with the principles of regenerative tourism. The goal was to enhance the products, services, and experiences offered to visiting sailors, while also generating positive impacts for the local community.

To achieve this, UHI Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research conducted site visits, held meetings with marina directors, carried out desk-based research and gathered input through a community survey. The findings were compiled into a detailed report for Thomas Telford Corpach Marina, which included:

• Recommendations for new services, activities, and visitor opportunities
• Operational practices aligned with regenerative tourism principles
• Guidance on accessing regeneration funding and developing a supporting business plan
• A critique of the current website with suggestions for improvement
• Analysis of the community survey results

AI Translation on the West Highland Peninsulas

A Knowledge Exchange Challenge Fund project between West Highland Peninsulas and UHI Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research

UHI Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research conducted research exploring how local businesses can engage with advanced AI translation technologies. The resulting report emphasises the increasing significance of foreign language support within Scottish tourism and highlights how AI-driven translation tools present a valuable opportunity to break down language barriers, enrich visitor experiences, and promote Scotland as a welcoming destination for international tourists. The report also outlines potential initiatives and collaborative opportunities for businesses to partner with UHI in adopting these innovative solutions.

Go Tourism Golspie

The Go Tourism Golspie project was a collaboration between the Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research and Go Golspie Development Trust, designed to support the Golspie Tourism Strategy 2030 by enhancing local tourism and building community capacity. Through online collaboration and an on-site meeting in June 2025, the partners developed key outputs including a stylised map and leaflet, a redesigned website with six themed subpages, and a new Instagram account supported by an image bank and Linktree. The work was structured around six themes—heritage, outdoor adventure, recreation, nature, coastal walks, and local flavours—creating a cohesive approach across print, web, and social media. These outcomes strengthen Golspie’s appeal, encourage sustainable and immersive visitor experiences, and provide the Trust with tools to continue delivering on its long-term tourism strategy.

Background

In 2021 the Go Golspie Development Trust commissioned the ‘Golspie Tourism Strategy 2030’. The comprehensive document outlined an ambitious plan with the overall vision that “By 2030 Golspie will be a destination of choice for outdoor activities, heritage and adventure tourism, and memorable experiences will be delivered by a welcoming local community”. The impetus for this project is to build on that strategy with an aim to create tourism offerings to support the vision.

Whilst steps have been made towards the actualisation of the Strategy, Go Golspie are restricted in capacity as they are primarily a voluntary run community association. The development of the tourism strategy has to be balanced alongside ‘traditional’ community development, in which Go Golspie has been very active with community projects focusing on buildings, playparks, food and transport. The currently available online and offline tourism information is limited and does not showcase the full complement of what there is available to do for visiting or potential tourists. Go Golspie wants to develop the information available ensuring that they are able to promote their locality externally and internally.

Project task:

The project was a collaboration between the Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research, UHI and the Go Gogolspie Development Trust

The impetus for this collaboration was to help build on the ‘Golspie Tourism Strategy 2030’ by drawing on CRTR knowledge to help the Trust to develop its tourism offering.

The overall aim was to build capacity and to create tourism offerings to support the vision.

The outcomes will be:

• Enhance the community tourism offering of the locality.
• Encourage tourists to visit the area, raising and sharing economic benefits.
• Encourage tourists to engage in slow immersive tourism, better connecting them to place and thus more sustainable tourism practices.
• Support the implementation of the ‘Golspie Tourism Strategy 2030’

The output is a stylised map and leaflet, updates to the Go Golspie website, creation of a tourism focused Instagram account.

Project action and activities:

The project began with online meetings to establish parameters and set targets. A Google Drive was established with collaborative information gathering documents including a Google My Map to accurately ‘pin’ different tourism services or points of interest. UHI were granted access to the Go Golspie website.

Both partners then worked to populate the documents and map on the Google Drive. UHI collected information and examples from different tourism websites and leaflets and used them to create possible structures to present the Golspie information.

The two partners met in person in Golspie in June 2025. Over a period of two days the project outputs were discussed in detail. The changes required to the website would be co-created while UHI focused on the chosen design and layout of the map and leaflet. An Instagram account was chosen as the preferred social media outlet and a new account established.

Six tourism themes were chosen to create a cohesive presentation across the website, the leaflet and Instagram:

• Rich Heritage and Historic Sites
• Outdoor Adventure for all
• Recreation and Sports
• Nature on the doorstep
• Coastal Beauty and Scenic Walks
• Community and Local Flavours

Project outcomes and results:

On the website the home page ‘Welcome to Golspie’ was redesigned and the ‘Things to see and do’ page adjusted to feature the chosen tourism themes. New sub pages were created for each theme.

The Leaflets were created and 1400 copies printed. The master documents were placed in the Google Drive for any future alterations by the Trust.

An Instagram account was created and a bank of images stored in Google Drive. A Linktree was established to connect users directly to the tourism themed pages of the website.

“I am astounded by how much has been accomplished in such a short time. Your hard work and inspiration have truly driven this project forward, and I have really enjoyed working with you. Your guidance and expertise have been incredibly inspiring, and I have learned so much from you. These insights will be invaluable as I continue to work on the website and Instagram account.”

Jayne Gutteridge, Go Golspie Development Trust Director