From Rose-Tinted Glasses to Real Impact: Why I Believe in Community Tourism

Celebrating Three Years of SCOTO and a Better Way to Experience Scotland

Why Community-Led Tourism Is the Future of Scottish Tourism

Today, on SCOTO’s Community Tourism Awareness Day, I want to share why I believe community-led tourism is essential for Scottish tourism today and a beacon of hope for its future.

My Community Tourism Journey: Three Key Moments

Three moments shaped my journey with SCOTO and community tourism:

  1. Realising that tourism isn’t always a force for good.

  2. Exploring the role of tourism in the Scottish Islands.

  3. Finding my tribe through SCOTO.

1. When I Realised Tourism Isn’t Always Good

In 2022, I took an online Sustainable Tourism course at Glasgow University. It was both enlightening and sobering.

Having worked in tourism since my student days at Edinburgh University — including my initial job answering visitor enquiries  at the Scottish Tourist Board — I had always believed tourism was a positive force. Encouraging people to visit the country I loved felt like the best job in the world.

But on that course, I learnt about over tourism, environmental damage, and community impact—not just globally but also here in Scotland.

This realisation didn’t break my spirit as someone who sees the glass as half full. Instead, it opened my eyes wider. I realised that I could make a difference by championing a more sustainable, community-first approach to tourism.

2. Scottish Islands and Community Tourism

As part of my course, I wrote my final essay on the impact of tourism in the Scottish Islands. I had to remove the rose-tinted glasses and look honestly at the challenges:

  • Lack of affordable housing

  • Environmental strain and wildlife disruption

  • Seasonal job insecurity

  • Pressure on fragile infrastructure

  • Over-tourism in sensitive areas

But I also found hope in local community action, especially in places like North Harris and Arran.

The North Harris Trust and Husinis Gateway

The North Harris Trust, a community-owned charity, manages the stunning but fragile North Harris Estate. They faced a big challenge at Husinis Beach: too many visitors damaging the precious machair habitat by parking on it.

Their solution? The Husinis Gateway, which includes visitor facilities, motorhome parking, and information about why there’s a charge (and where the money goes). It protects the environment while supporting local jobs and farming life.

It’s one of my favourite places — and one of my favourite examples of community-led tourism.

Supporting the community

Arran and the Community Toilet Revolution

Before COVID, I had never connected toilets to tourism. But then came lockdown, cuts to council services, and closures of public loos.

Arran is an exemplar in regard to community toilets.  On Arran Communities took on their local toilets and made them something to be proud of. Clean, cared-for, and cherished, each one told a story of village pride and responsibility.

Arran’s community toilets helped me see the power of community tourism and the joy of a clean and welcoming public toilet.

Community Toilets Lochranza sponsored by the Arran Distillery

3. Finding SCOTO: A New Way of Looking at Tourism

In early 2023, I joined a SCOTO workshop in Galashiels, and suddenly, the world of community tourism opened up. I signed up for the first SCOTO conference in Kingussie — and instantly felt I’d found my tribe.

It was, and still is, the friendliest conference I’ve ever attended. I joined a passionate group of people who see tourism as a way to give back to young people, communities, and the environment.

Scoto Conference Kingussie

Tourism Recalibrated

As SCOTO co-founder Carron Tobin put it, this is about recalibrating traditional tourism. It’s not about volume, spend, or duration. It’s about:

  • The impact on communities

  • The jobs it creates for local people

  • The respect it shows to the place and planet

We might not change the tourism industry, but together, we are making a difference — from Shetland to the Mull of Galloway.

A Movement I’m Proud To Be Part Of

Three years on, SCOTO has already achieved so much. Today, on #CommunityTourismDay25, I’m proud to be part of this movement — one that sees tourism as a force for good, not something that takes from communities but enhances them.

Community tourism is Scotland’s way forward, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.