22 February 2006
SHETLAND DEVELOPMENT TRUST TO APPOINT GRADUATE RESEARCHER
At a recent meeting of Shetland Development Trustees it was agreed that the Trust would appoint a graduate to work with the Smryil Line team at the Holmsgarth Terminal over the summer season to conduct an in-depth study of Smyril Line passengers.
The study will involve conducting passenger surveys in order to identify visitor profiles and to establish reasons for visits. The graduate will then assess the scope for tourism development and report back to Trustees as regular intervals.
Shetland Development Trust general manager, Neil Grant, said: “We have already established from the AB Associates report, published last year, that the route is extremely important to the Shetland economy, generating an annual income of between £4m and £7m. We now need to analyse the profile of the visitors who use the service and identify opportunities to improve its value to Shetland and increase visitor spend.
“We want to establish visitor requirements and how the local tourism infrastructure meets visitor needs. It will not only provide us with in-depth information on current visitors but will give us an insight into how we can best meet the needs of visitors into the future and how the Shetland tourism product is placed in the marketplace.
“We hope to attract a candidate qualified to degree level for the six-month appointment that will work with the Smyril Line team while reporting back to Shetland Development Trust.”
Welcoming the appointment, Gillian Fry, Smyril Line’s marketing manager in Shetland, said: “It will be extremely beneficial to have an added resource in place to collate data and conduct a thorough research project – an exercise which we are not in a position to undertake during what is, of course, our busiest period.”