Caithness Hospitality for Tourists

[weeboyagee]

Morning eveyone. Looking for informed opinions here. Can I ask the forum what we believe is the level of hospitality offered to tourists who visit Caithness? Do we look to accommodate them as much as possible? What level of service do we offer them? Are we welcoming? Do we go the extra mile?

What else can we do as a county to promote Caithness as a place to visit (and I mean ALL year round!)

Please note I'm not looking for named examples (good or bad) - generic experiences, personally or known thrid party references will be fine. There is a reason for my research and not linked to Mod Ghallaibh 2010.

I'd be grateful for all your responses. Cheers.

WBG

[Kenn]

Have never found a problem with the welcome but have often wondered why appart from a very few places the food leaves much to be desired,having been served what are patently tinned vegetables and badly cooked at that in at least one hotel that should know better,on the reverse we have found some excellent cooking in the most unlikely places.
With regard to facilities for visitors, we have found that they are often poorly advertised although some of them are excellent,Wick Heritage Centre being a prime example, with courteous,knowledgable staff.
The Rangers are also extremely helpful but the centre at Dunnet is often closed as is the case with The Tourist Information Board offices.
With regard to the shops we have always recieved good service and the chance for a natter with the staff with much information gleaned if one takes the time to listen.
Our best source of information over the years has been the local people, whether by accident as we chat to those we meet or because they are proud of what the county has and are happy to share their experiences.
Perhaps the biggest problem the county has is its remoteness and the cost involved in getting there with prohibitive air fares and limited train and coach services and the fact that most people think of it as just a stopping point on the way to Orkney or a photo call at John O' Groats.
Having said all that, it's is the very remoteness and the wild beauty that keeps bringing us back and we would hate to see that sacrificed in the name of commercialism.

[Rheghead]

I think public attitudes towards tourists have got to change more than anything else plus better organisation which is changing.

A tourist centre on the A9 near the south of the county with good parking will be a boon to guide tourists to spend more time here.

[Tugmistress]

maybe not the answer youare looking for but when i went to orkney for a day last year with my nana when she visited, the most glaringly obvious difference between here and there was the amount of pulic loo's in the middle of nowhere! it made a drive very easy and not having to plan 'pee stops'. things where also sign posted a lot better than they are here.

[dirdyweeker]

I find the lack of sign posts to direct you to places of interest. I am a born and bred Caithnessian but I still do not know where all places of interest are.
I believe Whaligoe Steps are not signposted as they are not safe, I know where they are but I reckon many folk travelling north must miss them.

[susan.leith]

We have visited Caithness regularly, staying in hotels, B&B's and self catering. The hotels we were in in both Wick and Thurso were inexpensive, but dire. The marshmallow bed in one was the most uncomfortable I have had the misfortune to try to sleep in! A case of you get what you pay for really. Self catering was fine, a bit antiquated, but clean and comfortable. Best for us has been B&B - excellent accommodation in both Wick and Thurso. Very pleasant hosts willing to share their knowledge of the area and make recommendations. Eating out was tricky - we did try to do some research before our visits, but there didn't seem to be a lot to choose from. But we didn't starve!
I wasn't aware of any particular welcome from the locals - maybe my Caithness heritage meant I wasn't immediately identifiable as a tourist! Certainly no negativity. Biggest issue has been places only open June - September; not much use for an Easter holiday.
Hope this helps.

[Sage]

What would be nice is some sort of guided county tour for the tourists. Does one exist??

I've recently been contacted by a gentleman from overseas visiting for the first time who would like to go places but without transport this would be extremely difficult.

There ARE places to go, but from a Caithness perspective I see very little for visitors like this. You cant rely on the local buses...Imagine trying to get to Dunnet, JoG, Lybster and the cairns in one day like that

Over the years I've created mini itineraries for visitors, suggested places to visit and places to eat, but unless they are wealthy and can afford to hire a taxi for the day they are quite frankly stuck.

We as a county could do so much more

[Alice in Blunderland]

We as a county could do so much more

I agree with this there is so much more that could be offered to visiting tourists.

[Cedric Farthsbottom III]

I'll take a seat for this one.My mums opinion of Caithness when she has visited from Ayrshire.Quiet,peaceful,lovely scenery,a lot of history,a bit boring,lovely people.

[Bobinovich]

What would be nice is some sort of guided county tour for the tourists. Does one exist??

I'm not sure if an official one exists but a self-drive one containing a number of day-trips can be downloaded here. The same firm also tried
organised tours based on these day-trips but had a poor uptake, even though those who did try them out provided very positive feedback. This is why they decided to make the booklet freely available.

[Fran]

I think the most important thing is to get a proper tourist office back in wick. To have a tourist office on the second floor of a shop is disgraceful and unheard of. Not many tourists can climb the stairs.
Also, caithness must be the only place that does not hire out motability scooters or wheelchairs. I have suggested this to the council a few times. they could keep 2 in the council offices. I know many disabled visitors haven't been able to walk around the town.
If we had a proper tourist office with a window....as we used to have...tourists could see what events are on and where to go and where to get accomodation etc etc. Maybe a big signpost with these details could be put up in the centre of town.
The best way to find out is to make a questionaire and go into the town and ask tourists the questions. I think it would make interesting reading.

[Invisible]

I have had experience with tourists who don't speak English very well, its frustrating trying to explain to them and maybe somewhat demeaning. Just because we speak louder and enunciate more doesn't mean they understand,
Perhaps we parle petit Francais or nicht Deutsch sprechen but i know myself if i am asked something by a French person i will mimic the accent (not intentially it just happens)

[starry]

I find the lack of sign posts to direct you to places of interest. I am a born and bred Caithnessian but I still do not know where all places of interest are.
I believe Whaligoe Steps are not signposted as they are not safe, I know where they are but I reckon many folk travelling north must miss them.

This is just what I was going to say, I always wondered why they weren't signposted.
I had an awful job finding them ( I had awful job climbing back up them as well but that is another matter )

I find on the whole folk are friendly but like a lot of the Highland's there is a take it or leave it attitude.



Not Caithness But Not Far Away


A couple of years ago myself and some friends were driving round the North Coast.
We stopped at a hotel at 2.30 for coffee and a sandwich, they just simply said they were weren't open for food until 5.00.
He then went on to moan about how quiet it was and how he thought he would have to shut.
He blamed everything under the sun from lack of local support to the Loch Ness Centre.
Not once did it seem to occur to him in the 10 minutes he kept us at the door he could have made coffee and sandwiches for 4 and made some money

[Welcomefamily]

Caithness has a long way to go to learn about hospitality however that what possibly makes it unique,

You need a lot more polish staff and the standards are bound to improve.

What can you do about it? you try to find well educated, highly motivated, people and you need to send them down to Torquay for a year to learn customer service.

The other major problem in Caithness is it lacks Hotels, it needs about six brand new hotels each with about 60 bedrooms and good leisure facilities.
Some people might find that an odd statement but Caithness has such a lack of facilites that it breeds disappointment like its lack of summer beds.

Half of these new hotels should be used for coaches because there is a major coach market out there but a repeated problem found by them is the poor standards of accommondation hence why they stay at Inverness and catch the Orkney Buses up.

The other major problem and I have seen this many times and I think all Hotel Owners would agree that there are large amounts of people coming up in summer and cant get accomodation.

In Torquay you have huge amounts of Hotels people can turn up off spec and get accommodation, you also have good promotion prospect.

Rates the rate system up here is poor and does not cater for business or its development, if they spent less time worrying about Gaelic signs and gave the money back as rate discounts it would increase investment. See what Cornwall did when the mines shut.

I could go on but I will stop there.

[Max]

Ross Tours does loads of local tours www.ross-tours.co.uk

[davlaurjen]

The cost of investing in tourism in Caithness would be prohibitive.As another poster has already said,there would need to be a balance between change and conservation.Much of the County's attraction stems from the unspoilt natural beauty of the surroundings.

[Sage]

Thanks for the link Bob...

will look that up. and Ross's Tours

Both will be on file, if I get any more interested visitors at least now I know the places to send them. Infact...there may just be a link on my website soon

[Rheghead]

The cost of investing in tourism in Caithness would be prohibitive.As another poster has already said,there would need to be a balance between change and conservation.Much of the County's attraction stems from the unspoilt natural beauty of the surroundings.

Orkney seems to have the balance right.

[Kevin Milkins]

Orkney seems to have the balance right.

I have to agree with you there Rheghead and as Tugs pointed out, it is almost amusing the places you find a rest room and toilet in Orkney.

[weeboyagee]

Delighted with the constructive posts in this thread - exactly what I was looking for. Do we have any others - please feel encouraged to give me as much feedback as possible. The information will be gathered and summarised, but I could do with a lot more.

Anything else I need to consider?

WBG