South Ayrshire Council, in conjunction with VisitScotland Prestwick, recently took an opportunity to raise awareness of what South Ayrshire has to offer. Council and Visitscotland staff spent a day promoting the area in the Stephens Green Centre, Dublin speaking to people who passed through the shopping centre.

Anyone who visited the display was invited to leave their contact details, so that they could be updated about future events, and if they did so were entered into a prize draw to win a free visit to South Ayrshire. Many people who chose to leave their details said that they were particularly interested in visiting South Ayrshire to go walking whilst enjoying the stunning scenery, learn about the heritage of the area and sample the good food.

The following week the Leader of South Ayrshire Council, Councillor Andy Hill drew out the winners name at the County Buildings in Ayr.

The lucky winner was Deirdre McDonagh, from County Kildare who has won:

• Return flights from Dublin to Prestwick - courtesy of Ryanair.
• Bed and breakfast for two nights in the Horizon Hotel, Ayr courtesy of VisitScotland.
• Two tickets with hospitality package for Friday 16 September 2005 and two tickets for Saturday 17th September 2005 Gold Cup Race Meeting courtesy of Ayr Racecourse.

The combination of literature, a display stand, and a promotional video, generated a lot of interest and highlighted what South Ayrshire has to offer visitors including:

• Several daily return flights which take less than an hour between Glasgow Prestwick International and Dublin.
• Scenic beauty from coast to countryside.
• Attractions, events and activities for all age groups.
• Accommodation to suit all budgets.
• An excellent choice of restaurants and eating establishments serving top quality local produce and catering for all tastes.

The visit to Ireland was one of a series of promotional ‘roadshows’ that will take place over the next two years as part of the Developing Active Regions and Sustainable Tourism (DART) project. DART is a 3 year programme funded by the Council with support from the Interreg IIIB North-West Europe programme, and involves partners from Germany and Ireland.

The aim of DART is to examine and test the best ways to maximise the benefits to tourism from passengers using low cost airlines. The DART German partners were also in Dublin showcasing their area.

Pictured in the foyer of the County Buildings in Ayr after selecting the winner from the prize draw are Councillor Andy Hill (centre), Jane Toye, Economic Development Officer (right) and Sarah Alexander from Visitscotland (left).

July 2005