Published: Thursday, 8th July, 2010 7:30am

New tourism group aims to put Dunfermline on the map

A NEWLY-FORMED tourism association aims to put Dunfermline on the tourist map.

The Dunfermline and West Fife local tourism association, launched last month, aims to link up local hoteliers, food, entertainment and leisure outlets to promote the area as a 'must-visit' destination.

Through these efforts, the association hopes to raise Dunfermline's profile and put it on a par with St Andrews.

One of six local tourism associations under the umbrella of the Fife Tourism Partnership, its vision, said chair Alistair Bruce, is that "Dunfermline be internationally recognised as a visitor destination".

Mr Bruce, general manager of the Keavil House Hotel, said, "The idea behind it is that we all join up and sing from the same hymn book so we can come up with offers to promote Dunfermline and West Fife as a destination.

"There's so much heritage in Dunfermline town centre itself, Culross, the Alhambra, Carnegie Hall, Knockhill - there's so much we don't sing enough about.

"We have so much on our doorstep and yet to many people in Edinburgh, Perth or Glasgow, the attractions are little publicised.

"It's not just about reaching this part of Scotland but the west, east, north and south coasts, down to England, and internationally.

"There are links with Trondheim, Sarasota - there are opportunities there and the association will help bring those together."

Asked about the public perception of Fife, Mr Bruce smiled, "It depends where you're coming from.

"If you said to somebody down south, 'What does Fife mean to you?' they might say the Forth Bridge and golf and it doesn't go a lot further than that.

"It would be great to ask that same person that question in a year's time and they say Dunfermline, or Culross, or Carnegie Hall, or Robert the Bruce."

Mr Bruce added, "You can go to other places in Scotland where you can buy one pack and it will give you access to, say, Deep Sea World, and various other attractions. It's a very easy buy for the tourist.

"As yet, this area doesn't have anything like that. We need to make it easy for the tourist to enjoy themselves and spend money in the area."

Tourism-related businesses also stand to benefit from the association.

Mr Bruce explained, "You'll have an opinion and somewhere to voice that opinion and get involved with other businesses in the area, whereas before there was no structure for that.

"That's the big benefit I see for smaller organisations. You can come along, meet the key players in the area and get involved in what's happening.

"There's a lot of individual expertise and lots of places that do some good marketing - why not join them all together?

Mr Bruce hopes the association's efforts will spark West Fifers' pride in their heritage.

Recalling a visit to a school recently, he said, "Robert the Bruce goes back a long way in Dunfermline and as a Bruce myself I was was embarrassed to understand that a lot of the pupils didn't know a lot about their own heritage.

"It's about raising awareness and, as mentioned, eventually what we'd like to see is more focus on the heritage aspect of the town."

He said the association was "at the forming process at the moment" and had received "very positive response".

He added, "People have been saying 'We'll support you', and that this is what this area needs, a joint-up approach to marketing Dunfermline and West Fife."

For more information log on to www.tourismnetfife.com or call Alistair Bruce on 736258.

Do you think Dunfermline is a 'must-visit' destination? Vote now online.