Visit Scotland | Alba
Article published 02/02/2023

Gordon Smith appointed as new Destination Development Director for the South of Scotland

Gordon Smith, Destination Development Director at VisitScotlandWe have announced the appointment of a new Destination Development Director for the South of Scotland.

Gordon Smith, who has worked within tourism for more than 26 years and with VisitScotland since 2005, will take up the role.

Gordon has held several senior roles at VisitScotland during this time, most recently as the Regional Director for Ayrshire & Arran, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde, where he has been instrumental in the ongoing development of the Ayrshire & Arran Visitor Economy Strategy.

In this new role, Gordon will be responsible for leading on the continued responsible recovery of the tourism industry in the South of Scotland.

He will lead on the delivery of the key strategic tourism priorities set out in the regional economic strategy and help to support the ambitions of the national tourism strategy, Scotland Outlook 2023, for Scotland to be a world leader in 21st century tourism.

I would like to congratulate Gordon Smith on this appointment to what is key role in the South of Scotland. Gordon has considerable experience in partnership and stakeholder relations, as well as extensive knowledge of all aspects of tourism during his varied career. He is very familiar with the needs of the tourism industry and is well placed to support development of the sector in the region.

Gordon will lead on our key strategic relationships in the South of Scotland, working with South of Scotland Enterprise, both councils, the South of Scotland Destination Alliance and other partners to support the responsible growth of our tourism and events industry.

Tourism is a force for good. It creates jobs, sustains communities and contributes significantly to the economy and I am confident that Gordon will ensure this is the case in the South of Scotland.

Rob Dickson, VisitScotland Director of Industry and Destination Development

It has been an incredible challenging time for our tourism and events industry in recent years and our focus remains on supporting the ongoing recovery of this valuable part of our economy.

I look forward to taking up this role at an exciting time for the South of Scotland. The region received global recognition from its inclusion on Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel Guide 2023 and as we countdown to hosting key events as part of the UCI Cycling World Championships and the opening of the coast-to-coast cycle route, we will build on the important partnerships we have in place in the South of Scotland to drive forward tourism recovery and continue to strengthen the economy of the south.

Gordon Smith, VisitScotland Destination Development Director for the South of Scotland

Gordon will work alongside VisitScotland Destination Development Directors for the Highlands and Islands and Central and North East regions, working directly with relevant enterprise agencies and regional economic partnerships to deliver the work of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET).

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