THE three north isles of Shetland are taking a firm hold of their destiny by staging an all-day conference at the end of the month entitled 'Make tourism your business'.

Britain's most northerly islanders on Unst, together with their neighbours on Fetlar and Yell, are exploring new ideas for their future economy to counteract issues such as depopulation and remoteness. Help is at hand from Shetland Enterprise's team based in the North Isles together with the Initiative at the Edge - North Isles group which have been co-ordinating community support and private businesses to form a positive strategy for the future.

The event on Saturday, 30 September takes place at Saxavord, a former RAF base which closed earlier this year, resulting in significant population decline and job losses for the island of Unst. It is hoped the conference will mark new beginnings for the buildings and the islands.

Local  MP, Alistair Carmichael kicks off the day with a welcome address followed by Tony Harrison of  the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business Development at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Other speakers will include Andy Steven of Visit Shetland and Neil Henderson, marketing officer for the SIC. They will provide an up-to-date analysis of the current visitor market to the North Isles, and on tourism development from an agency perspective. Shetland's MSP Tavish Scott will also be present.

Frank Strang and his team at Military Asset Management will share their latest plans for the development of Saxavord as a visitor destination, and Caroline Whitfield of Blackwood Distillers will also be attending the event. Tours of the base will be available.

Facilitated workshops covering areas such as accommodation, food and drink, community action in tourism and starting up a tourism business will run throughout the day, and a 'North Isles Showcase' will provide a stage for the area to display the range of existing tourism products it has to offer. 

Fiona Stirling of SE's North Isles team explained: "We really hope that as many residents of the North Isles as possible manage to make it along on September 30. We believe these islands have a store of untapped potential but it is only through sharing ideas and taking plans forward in partnership that we can achieve tangible benefits."

The event begins at 9.30am when the North Isles Showcase and Farmers Market open, followed by opening speakers at 10.45.

For further information contact SE's North Isles team on 01957 711609 or email unst.response@hient.co.uk