From Scottish Islands to Tourism Strategy. My Women in Wellies Conversation

I recently joined Hannah on the Women in Wellies podcast to talk about Scottish tourism, rural life and the islands I love. It was a chance to reflect on the experiences that have shaped me not just as a tourism strategist, but as a person.

My work is about helping tourism businesses grow, and communities thrive. Behind that are the people and places that matter to me: my family, the Scottish Borders, Scotland’s islands and the friendships built over a career in tourism.

Where it all began

My career in tourism began in 1989 with a holiday job answering the telephones at the Scottish Tourist Board. I didn’t imagine then where it would take me, or how many friendships and opportunities to learn would come from it.

From the Scottish Tourist Board and Edinburgh Tourist Board, I went on to become Marketing Manager at the Scottish Borders Tourist Board, where our work won four Scottish Thistle Awards, and later an Area Director with VisitScotland. I established my own consultancy in 2007 with two colleagues and then ventured on my own in 2023.

Early in my Borders career, my boss now a dear friend told me that “city people” like me would eventually leave. More than 25 years later, I’m still here. I grew up in Cambuslang, but I was always looking for green spaces. The Borders became the rural home I’d wanted.

Why Scotland’s islands and rural communities’ matter to me

My love of Scotland’s islands goes back to childhood escapes to Bute and Arran. As a child, I dreamed of doing up a little “cottage” in Lochranza only to discover later that it had been used for fishing nets!

Arran even has a place in the story of how I met Andy. We met at an Edinburgh University ceilidh, and his “Arran Uni” sweatshirt caught my attention. Since then, our family has explored more than 35 Scottish islands.

Those places mean much more to me than somewhere lovely to visit. They’ve made me think about the people who live there all year round, and what tourism can contribute to their lives: jobs, local businesses, services and opportunities for younger people to stay.

I know there isn’t always an easy balance between welcoming visitors and meeting the needs of residents and businesses. That is part of what makes this work matter to me.

For me, tourism succeeds when it helps a community thrive not simply when it brings more visitors through the door.

Small tourism businesses can be strong businesses

The commercial side of tourism matters to me because behind every independent business are people making decisions about their time, money and future.

Working mainly across rural Scotland, I want to help those people build businesses that are viable as well as fulfilling.

Being a small business doesn’t mean you can’t be a strong business.

But enthusiasm and a good idea aren’t enough on their own. Understanding your customers, knowing your costs, setting the right prices and making informed decisions about investment and growth are all essential.

That is the focus of my work through Fiona Drane Tourism Strategy: tourism strategy, feasibility, business planning and marketing.

Whether I’m helping someone explore new visitor accommodation, develop a business plan or review an existing business, I want them to come away with a clearer view of what is possible and what needs careful thought.

Good marketing matters, but it needs a viable business behind it. For me, useful advice means helping people make confident decisions, rather than simply encouraging them to press ahead.

The people who make the difference

My children, Ruth and Daniel, inspire me in different ways. Ruth encourages me to step outside my comfort zone. She was part of what drew me into wild swimming, which has become such an important part of my life.

In Daniel, I recognise my own passion for Scotland, expressed through his love of Scottish football. The friendships he has made with people of all ages remind me of the connections tourism has brought into my life. They both remind me that learning goes in both directions between parents and children.

I’ve also had brilliant mentors, many of whom are now friends, and learned so much from the business owners and community organisations I’ve worked alongside. Their generosity with their knowledge, encouragement and time has stayed with me.

As a Director of SCOTO the Scottish Community Tourism Network and a Trustee of Gunsgreen House in Eyemouth, I’m involved in work that connects tourism with the places and communities I care about.

Meeting people determined to make something happen, often with limited resources, is still one of the things I enjoy most about my work.

Looking ahead

My 50s have brought some of the most challenging years of my life: ageing parents, losing Mum after dementia, serious health problems within the family and professional change. I don’t feel comfortable saying I’ve “overcome” all of that. Some things aren’t problems you neatly solve.

What I’ve learned is to adapt, accept help and become clearer about what matters: family, friends, where I live, being outdoors, continuing to learn and doing work I genuinely care about.

A Destination Leadership course in 2022 helped me realise that I wanted to focus the rest of my career completely on tourism. I’m still learning, most recently about AI and how it might help smaller tourism businesses work more effectively.

The advice I’d give to the next generation of rural women is advice I want to keep following myself: never become too old to dream or too experienced to learn. Life rarely follows the plan you imagined at 20. Changing direction isn’t failure. I’m still learning, stepping outside my comfort zone and dreaming about what comes next.

Listen to the podcast

You can listen to Episode 70, Islands to Impact, on the Women in Wellies podcast.

Listen to my Women in Wellies conversation on Apple Podcasts

I’d love to hear what resonates with you whether it’s a love of Scotland’s islands, a change of direction or a reminder that there’s always more to learn.