Businesses around the Buchan coastline are being encouraged to collaborate in marketing the region as a tourism destination.
Aberdeenshire East MSP Gillian Martin and VisitScotland have teamed up to launch a rural tourism seminar helping companies promote themselves to the wider world.
Mrs Martin strongly believes the north-east corner is often overlooked by tourists hoping to soak up the traditional Scottish experience.
However, she feels the region has an abundance of literary history, beautiful scenery and culture to offer up.
She said: “One of the biggest problems around this area is that businesses are unaware of how to market themselves properly.
“Even something as simple as being given a brown sign for your attraction can make all the difference.
“Over the last 40 years the region has become overly reliant on locals having a chunk of change in their pockets because of the thriving economy,” she said.
“But since the oil and gas downturn businesses need to be looking at how we can attract others into the area to spend their money,” she added.
Mrs Martin said initiatives and driving routes like the NE 250 have done nothing to help the region as the map misses out the whole of the north-east corner.
“While parts of the region have done well at marketing themselves it’s something we in the Buchan corner need to become better at to ensure tourists don’t just drive past us on the way to Deeside or the Highlands,” she added.
