Plans aim to make Scotland top destination for hunting, shooting and fishing
A Scottish country sports tourism body has announced plans to make Scotland the world's top destination for hunting, shooting and fishing.
A Scottish country sports tourism body has announced plans to make Scotland the world's top destination for hunting, shooting and fishing.
The Scottish Country Sports Tourism Group (SCSTG) wants to boost the value of the activities to the Scottish economy by ÂŁ30 million in the next three years to ÂŁ185 million via its Game for Growth strategy.
VisitScotland will match the funding in a drive to boost the international online profile of Scotland's country sports.
Sarah Troughton, SCSTG chairwoman, said: "Our vision for Scotland's fishing, shooting and stalking industry is that it will become the global country sport tourism destination of choice known for its sustainable, premium quality and diverse Scottish offering, unsurpassed by any other country in the world.
"The current value of country sports tourism in Scotland stands at ÂŁ155m and our ambitious growth target to reach ÂŁ185m by 2020 will be underpinned by greater industry collaboration, including VisitScotland, and engaging in an international awareness campaign to develop overseas markets.
"Scotland's sporting pursuits are truly world class and now is the time exploit its offering and realise its true potential."
An expert on the country's grouse shooting said this season, which officially ended on December 10, had been "mixed" but worldwide demand remains "consistently strong".
Robert Rattray, of CKD Galbraith's Sporting Lets, said: "As usual the season has been mixed - some grouse moors in Central Scotland have had a superb season, while others further east had poor stock due to a cold snap in late spring and days were cancelled.
"The unpredictability of grouse shooting reinforces that it is a sustainable and responsibly managed harvest of a natural resource found only in the UK, which seems to only increase the allure for sporting tourists. The demand from all over the world to partake when the 'game is on' remains consistently strong."
Regional moorland groups reported a total of 4,007 overnight stays from those taking part in country pursuits throughout the 2016 shooting season.