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Dumfries & Galloway (D&G) Tourist Board is to appoint a head of marketing, whose salary will be funded through a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) recovery scheme.

Dumfries & Galloway (D&G) Tourist Board is to appoint a head of marketing, whose salary will be funded through a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) recovery scheme.

D&G, in south-west Scotland, was one of the hardest-hit areas in the UK: tourism figures fell by nearly 60 per cent in April alone. The region has yet to be given the all-clear, despite being on the verge of declaring itself FMD free in August. A further 16 outbreaks were announced at the end of August and Scotland was again put on alert. The region has lost an estimated &£3m a week since the outbreak.

The tourist authority has received a &£2m funding package from the Scottish Executive, solely for the purpose of marketing the area and bringing back the lost tourists.

The three-year contracted post has been instigated to lead the marketing drive and the holder will report directly to chief executive Norma Hart.

The tourist authority works with creative agency Draft Worldwide and media independent Feather Brooksbank. No review is expected.

The tourist board is behind a celebrity-studded campaign, about to be launched to encourage overseas and UK visitors back to the Scottish south-west region.

Joanna Lumley, Michelle Collins, Lorraine Kelly, David Coulthard and Magnus Magnusson are among the list of famous faces being used in the campaign.