It’s an open secret that Pitlochry is one of Scotland’s most popular destinations, but when the tourist information centre closed last year, visitors found themselves somewhat lost.
And in the age of digital first, it’s perhaps expected for the company printing physical tour guides to see a continuing decline in the number of maps they manufacture.
But not so for Explore Scotland.
The makers of Explore Pitlochry and Highland Perthshire are instead experiencing a significant boom.
And this year they’ve printed off 70,000 physical guides to meet anticipated demand.
The business has worked with Pitlochry artist Dylan Gibson to reflect how the area has changed over the past three decades.
Highland Perthshire companies have also welcomed the surge in guide use, allowing them to advertise prominently to tourists seeking somewhere to stay.
Pitlochry tourist guide demand
The guides have been circulating in Pitlochry and Perthshire for 30 years. And when the new custodians of the maps, Marius and Angela Bezuidenhout took over during the pandemic, the expectation was for around 40,000 of them to be used seasonally at most.
So in September last year, when VisitScotland shuttered their Atholl Road offices, they thought they would end up making fewer maps, as tourists turn to Google Maps and Amazon Kindle digital versions.
But the opposite has happened, says co-director Marius.
“The demand has been unprecedented,” he said.
“We are already having requests for restocks.
“People probably thought that the printed tourist guide was dead, with everything moving online. It seems not. It is actually more popular now than it has been for years.”
Head of design and development, Ali Penman, added: “The previous owners and producers did a great job and published the Guide for 30 years.
“However, when the tourist office closed, there was no information that hotels, B&Bs and businesses that cater for tourists, could leave for guests.
“What it also shows is that Highland Perthshire remains a destination that visitors from near and far want to come to.”
Map upgrade
First published in 1997, the guide has recently benefitted from an update, upgrading old maps of Highland Perthshire towns which had not kept pace with new buildings and historic sites.
The new hand-drawn maps have been commissioned from Pitlochry-based illustrator, Dylan Gibson, who has also incorporated popular walks on the new maps.
“Marius wanted to produce a definitive map of the area which tourists could use as a physical map and take with them, explore the town and the surrounding area.
“Some of the existing maps went back 20 years or more,” Dylan said.
The guide nods towards changing visitor trends with QR Codes now placed on the maps, offering additional online access.
But even with 10,000 downloads to Kindle last season, demand for an old fashioned paper map is higher by a factor of seven.
“The guide has been a remarkable journey,” added co-director Angela.
“People love accessing trip information and booking from phones but they also appreciate something physical that they can keep, even as a memento.”
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