Visitors from cruise ships will be among target audiences as part of a bid to revitalise tourism in the Falkirk area in the wake of the pandemic.
A report going to Falkirk Council's executive on Tuesday says that the Covid 19 pandemic hit tourism badly, with visitor numbers down by around one-third.
Nevertheless, in 2021 tourism still brought in £85 million from 600,000 visits to the Falkirk area - and councillors are being asked to approve a new strategy to get the numbers even higher.
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They hope clever marketing and targeted promotion will help return the area to levels seen in 2019, when research showed that £137 million had been generated by 949,000 visits.
The impact on jobs has been felt, with tourism supporting 2200 jobs in 2019, falling to 1500 in 2021.
But the years before the pandemic had seen unprecedented growth for tourism in the Falkirk area, with the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel proving a huge draw.
The new strategy hopes to build on that success and is looking forward to having three projects in the pipeline that attract visitors - Falkirk Distillery, Rosebank Distillery and the new £3 million national art park that is currently at the development stage.
Falkirk relies on 'hero' attractions - such as the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel - to attract visitors.
Another hero is Blackness Castle, which has featured in numerous films and television shows - including Outlander - thanks to its dramatic appearance and waterside location.
These outstanding attractions are supported by a range of destinations that might not be quite as well-known but are which distinctive to Falkirk and are seen as a good reason to extend a stay.
On this list are: Callendar House, the Dunmore Pineapple, Bo'ness and Kinneil Steam Railway, the Bo'ness Hippodrome and Kinneil House and Estate.
Underpinning these are others such as Muiravonside Park, Bo'ness Motor Museum, Kinneil Nature Reserve and Falkirk's award-winning network of paths and cycle routes.
The vision being put forward in the document is "for the Falkirk area to be a coherent visitor destination taking its place among Scotland’s best".
A key part of the strategy is targeting the right markets and the council has used research by VisitScotland to do this.
Among those they hope to attract to stay longer are 'adventure seekers', who are keen to try new things and 'engaged sightseers', often visiting from cruise ships or as part of other tour groups.
But it acknowledges that there is work to be done to make the most of Falkirk's assets and while some of this will be done by private businesses, the council will have a role to play.
Callendar House's exhibitions need revitalising and modernising while there are also maintenance issues of the building fabric.
More could be done, too, to capitalise on the World Heritage status of the Antonine Wall. The strategy plans to work with Historic Environment Scotland and other local authorities to develop innovative new visitor experiences that tell the story of the historic monument.
The strategy makes clear, however, that Falkirk is dependent on free attractions so alternative ways to generate economic value will be required.
However, during a cost-of-living crisis, there will be great appeal in the many close to home and free/low-cost activities Falkirk can offer and people coming to visit family will also be welcome.
There is also an acknowledgement that the area needs a wider range of good quality accommodation if it hopes to increase overnight stays.
The new tourism strategy will be debated by councillors at a meeting of Falkirk Council's executive on Tuesday in Grangemouth Community Education Unit at 10 am. The meeting will be livestreamed on the council's Y ouTube channel.
