Visit Wester Ross, a voluntary tourism association based in Wester Ross in the Scottish Highlands, has released two new films as it extends its successful marketing campaign ‘Are you a West Coaster?’ into the summer months. The campaign has been designed to attract visitors who have an affinity with Wester Ross and the people who live there.

This time, viewers are introduced to the ‘Wildlife West Coaster’ and the ‘Storyteller West Coaster’. Steve Ward from the Glass Bottomed Boat in Gairloch is the Wildlife West Coaster. Originally from Coventry, “pure love” brought Steve to Wester Ross.

Steve said: “We get to see starfish, crabs, lobsters occasionally and different seaweeds and we have a population of seals who always enthral our visitors. I wake up every morning and kick myself that I’m here and I’d certainly like to see more tourists staying in the area for longer.”

Eddie Stiven is the ‘Storyteller West Coaster’, a playwright living in Glenelg who frequently welcomes people from all over the world and shares stories about Wester Ross as they discover its natural and historic landscape.

Eddie believes that Wester Ross is a great place to tell stories: “The stories are literally here. They’re in the place names, in the oral tradition of the people who live here, they’re in the Gaelic language, the English language and the Scots language. They tell us how places are named, about the history of piping, and about the antiquities that we have here, particularly the lovely brochs. Wester Ross has a rich cultural heritage, and it is a wonderful place to live.”

Launched in January this year, Are you a West Coaster? comprises a series of films featuring West Coasters who run businesses in Wester Ross and are looking to develop sustainable tourism in the area, which is also designated a Biosphere by UNESCO.

These new films are part of the tourism strategy for Wester Ross, supported by national efforts spearheaded by VisitScotland, to develop sustainable tourism.