Orkney residents and businesses are being asked to help shape a ten year plan for managing the pressures tourism places on the islands while protecting the benefits visitors bring to the local economy.
Orkney Islands Council has opened consultation on its draft Visitor Management Plan 2027 to 2037, with responses invited until 16 October.
The plan looks beyond attracting visitors and focuses instead on what happens when they arrive, particularly during the busiest periods of the year when demand for local infrastructure and public services increases.
Tourism remains an important part of Orkney’s economy, supporting businesses and employment while bringing spending into communities across the islands.
But growing visitor numbers and the concentration of tourism into particular parts of the year can also put additional pressure on services which residents rely upon every day.
Roads, ferries and buses are among the areas identified alongside public toilets, parking, waste services, heritage sites and other facilities.
The council wants the new plan to provide a practical framework for managing those pressures over the next decade while ensuring tourism continues to contribute positively to Orkney.
It also aims to improve the experience of visitors themselves while protecting the long term wellbeing of island communities and the places people come to see.
The draft has already been informed by community feedback, discussions with tourism businesses and organisations, an internal review of council services, visitor surveys and other local evidence.
Now the council wants people across Orkney to examine the proposals and say whether the right problems have been identified and whether the suggested actions are likely to work.
Councillor Mellissa Thomson, Chair of the council’s Enterprise and Infrastructure Committee, said:
“Tourism plays an important role in Orkney, and we want to make sure it supports our communities, respects the places they care about and protects the services they depend on.
“This consultation is a chance for folk to tell us whether we have identified the right pressures and if the actions proposed in the draft plan will help address them.”
The challenge facing Orkney is one shared by many successful visitor destinations across the Highlands and Islands, where tourism can provide vital economic opportunities while placing significant seasonal demands on communities with limited infrastructure.
Finding the right balance means considering the needs of the people who live and work in those communities alongside the experience offered to those who visit them.
Responses to the consultation will be used to shape the final Visitor Management Plan before it goes before councillors for consideration later this year.
The consultation remains open until 16 October, with the draft plan and online survey available through the Orkney Islands Council website and paper copies or alternative formats available on request.
