Local authorities in Angus and the City of Dundee have joined forces in a bid to attract tourists from across the world to come to the area and walk in the footsteps of their ancestors. A two year project aims to capitalise on increasing interest in family history worldwide, and also to tap into the estimated market of 2.5 million people across the globe with their roots in Angus & Dundee.
One of the key objectives of this project will be to develop a Roots Festival for Angus & Dundee in 2008 which will then be further developed for 2009 linking into Scotland’s Year of Homecoming. The event will be aimed at locals and tourists alike, giving a real flavour of Angus & Dundee’s rich heritage and culture.
The aim of the Festival will be to have ‘ancestral-friendly’ accommodation, restaurants and other tourism operators providing a friendly welcome and service to visitors through a core Festival package of conducted tours, activities and workshops.
An ambitious programme for the week-long festival, which will take place from 6-13 September 2008, has been developed. A website, which will contain full details of the Festival along with booking information, is currently under development at www.tayroots.com
How can I get involved?
Accommodation bookings for the seven night core festival package will be handled centrally, through appointed tour operator Scotia Travel. The aim is to work with a number of ‘designated suppliers’, comprising a good cross-section of hotel, B&B and self-catering establishments in the area. In order to become a designated supplier, you will have to be prepared to:
a) Offer nett rates
b) Offer a room allocation (hotels only). The exact number of rooms will be agreed between you and the tour operator. Any unsold rooms will be returned to you 4 - 6 weeks before the start of the festival.
If you are interested in registering as a designated accommodation supplier to the Angus & Dundee Roots Festival, please contact Gillian Harrower, Angus & Dundee Ancestral Tourism Project Manager at gillian@tals.co.uk, tel: 01738 860523.
The organisers are also urging all tourism businesses in the area to get behind this initiative and help them promote the Roots Festival through their own promotional channels eg. print, website etc
If you would like to feature the Roots Festival logo and strapline in your promotional material, please contact Gillian Harrower, stating whether you would like the print and/or website version.
