certified coach town status for girvan

GoGirvan is working towards securing Certified Coach Town status for Girvan. We have met with CPT (the largest coach federation in the UK), who is keen for Girvan to become certified.

Girvan would become only the third Certified Coach Town in Scotland, the other two being the cities of Inverness and Perth. Becoming a Certified Coach Town entails bringing certain infrastructure, mainly signage for coach drivers and visitors, up to standard, coach parking bay markings to be clearly designated and this information to be easily accessible for coach drivers in advance of stopping in Girvan. We are working with South Ayrshire Council and Girvan Community Council to bring this about.

We know from available data that there are over 500 coaches passing through Girvan on an annual basis, with some stopping for short periods for toilet breaks and fish suppers. We need to make the town “sticky” by developing incentives for coach companies, to encourage longer stops.

GoGirvan believes that there is huge untapped potential to increase the number of stops, the length of stops and the spend from stops, to the economic benefit of Girvan. Girvan presents a unique opportunity to develop bespoke tourism products that celebrate our distinct character and vibrant community. By leveraging our coastal charm, rich history, built and cultural heritage, and strategic location on the A77, we have the potential to grow our tourism offering and support the regeneration of our area. Our proximity to the Cairnryan ferry positions us as a stopping point for visitors travelling from Ireland, opening opportunities to attract new audiences through bookable packages and intermediaries (coach companies, travel agents). Leading to Girvan becoming a destination in its own right for pre bookable leisure and tourism day visits.

Guided by the experience and work already undertaken by Inverness and Perth and scaling down the number of coaches visiting Inverness on an annual basis (over 2,000) we have set out a target of attracting 50 coaches in the first year of operation, rising to 200 coaches in the third year. Using Visit Scotland's data on day visitor numbers and spend, we have calculated that over the period of the first three years of operation, we could achieve an economic benefit to Girvan of almost £600,000.