From “munro bagging” to completing the West Highland Way, travellers to Scotland have always loved a challenge. Now, with plans being drawn up to for a Scottish islands passport, a new task for tourists could be on the horizon: visiting the country’s inhabited islands – 93 of them.
The Scottish islands passport scheme was proposed in a recent report by regional transport body the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (Hitrans).
Travellers would be encouraged to collect a stamp for visiting each island, which could then be linked to travel discounts. It was inspired by Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way passport, which encourages visitors to complete the 2,500km route and collect 188 stamps along the way.
The Wild Atlantic Way has proved successful since its launch in 2014, attracting an estimated 1.3 million visitors last year. Hitrans hopes a passport scheme could have a similar impact on the Scottish islands, boosting tourism and supporting the “lifeline” transport services to the remote islands in the process.
Writing in the report, Hitrans partnership manager Neil MacRae said the marketing possibilities around the concept were “endless”.
“For example, the passport could be issued to everybody in Scotland to encourage them to visit as many of the islands as possible over their lifetime,” he wrote.
According to the 2011 census, Scotland has 93 inhabited islands with a population of 103,700, served primarily by ferry but also air services. The passport scheme hopes to work in partnership with the different transport operators in the region, boosting local economies, while encouraging more visitors to the smaller and less-accessible islands.
VisitScotland’s Islands Visitor Survey shows that trips to Shetland, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides have seen a 22% increase since 2012-2014, which has brought an extra £36.9m to local economies. It has voiced its support for the passport idea.
A spokesperson for VisitScotland said: “The Scottish islands passport idea is at a very early stage but we would be supportive of any initiative that brings more visitors to our islands, with a unique stamp to represent each individual island as a strong call to action.”
