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LetsGoNorth is now on Facebook
About Us
Highland Holidays ~ Walking Tours ~ North coast information, Dunnet Head ~ Scotland
Lets Go North
C/o Dunnet Head B&B and Self Catering, Windhaven, Brough, Thurso, Caithness, KW14 8YE
E-mail: tinairving@letsgonorth.com
Tel: 01847 851774
The tourism association known as North of Scotland Hospitality (NOSH) is being restructured to become a division of Brough Bay Ltd., a tourism marketing company, under the banner of LetsGoNorth which has the same aims of encouraging visitors to Caithness and Sutherland and working closely with the Orkney Tourism Group and other entities on Orkney. The format is that of a “travel club” with a membership structure as outlined below. The organisation receives no public funding and is purely privately driven. The commercialisation of NOSH is supported by John Thurso MP who recognises that Ms Irving is the driving force behind the rejuvenated tourism association. The LetsGoNorth brand was launched by John Thurso in 1999 and is now being developed to include merchandising through publication of guide books and its own magazine.
The focus is on outdoor activities with walking high on the agenda. The Directors of Brough Bay Ltd. are Tina Irving and Brian Sparks who have managed NOSH since its rejuvenation in 2010. Ms Irving and Mr. Sparks have worked hard to market Dunnet Head as the most northerly point on the UK mainland for over 10 years. Having succeeded in increasing the footfall and dwell time at Dunnet Head through the marketing of their accommodation provision and through the Dunnet Head Educational Trust, they have developed this further by re-establishing NOSH and directing any bookings they have not been able to fulfil to the letsgonorth.com web site. This will continue under the new structure. The success of the Dunnet Head Educational Trust and the Caithness & Sutherland Walking Festival launched by Ms Irving in 2003 and 2004 respectively form the basis for further development. The Company holds a database of over 7000 visitors, mainly walkers, and the database is used to market the area through the development of strategic partnerships.
Anyone can join the “LetsGoNorth Travel Club” whether they are in the tourism business or whether they just want to help the area. Members outwith the Caithness and Sutherland area can have sponsored links on the “virtual trail” for an annual fee of £50.
The marketing strategy for 2011 will remain firmly focussed on outdoor activities and working with Orkney, with a guide book to the North Highland Way due out in 2012, information placed on high profile web sites such as Walkingworld, the UK Experience, My Town and Adventure Holidays and with literature placed on the Northlinks ferry and in the Orkney bedroom folders. This all comes at a cost and we hope that members of NOSH will continue to support the new structure which is additionally aimed at gaining benefit from the Olympic Games through continuing work with VisitBritain.
The rates for membership for 2011/2012 are as follows:
Bronze - £10 – 50 words and 1 photo.
Silver - £50 – 250 words + 4 photos.
Gold – a full marketing package focussing on outdoor activities and individual entries on marketing literature can be provided on request to tinairving@letsgonorth.com.
For those who have more than one business, the second membership fee is 50% of the original subscription.
All Silver members will have a box entry in the Northern Highlands Explorer, Gold members will receive a quarter page. All members will have the opportunity to have a business profile in the magazine which is available for sale over the internet, downloadable to i-phones and, demand permitting, made freely available locally. This is a print on demand publication.
The main project is the development of the North Highland Way through a series of publications.
President: John Thurso MP
Secretary: Tina Irving, Dunnet Head B&B and Self Catering / Brough Bay Ltd / Dunnet Head Educational Trust, , Windhaven, Brough, Thurso, Caithness, KW14 8YE. Tel: Email: tinairving@letsgonorth.com
PR & Media support: The Big Partnership, Aberdeen: tel: 01224 615000 www.bigpartnership.co.uk
Marketing support: The Cheryl Hopkins Consultancy Ltd. tel: 01456 476749, m: 07759 294905 www.cherylhopkins.co.uk
IT support: Digital Routes Ltd.
tel: 0141 416 2522
Copyright © North of Scotland Hospitality 2011. All rights reserved