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Orkney Islands Council Draft Visitor Management Plan 2027-2037
This consultation is open until 16 October 2026.
We want to hear your views on our draft Visitor Management Plan 2027-2037. The draft plan sets out how the Council will do its part in managing the impacts of tourism on local services, infrastructure and public spaces over the next decade.
Tourism is a vital part of Orkney's economy, bringing opportunities for local businesses and supporting jobs. However, growing visitor numbers and seasonal demand put pressure on roads, ferries and buses, public toilets, parking, waste services, heritage sites and other facilities.
The draft plan explains our role in supporting tourism and visitor management. It also sets out a range of practical actions to address these pressures. The proposed actions will help to ensure tourism continues to benefit the islands by strengthening the long-term wellbeing of local communities and improving the visitor experience.
It's been shaped by community feedback, discussions with tourism businesses and organisations, an internal review of Council services, visitor survey results and other local evidence.
We're running this consultation to make sure the plan clearly explains our role in visitor management, accurately identifies the main tourism pressures in Orkney and sets out practical actions to help address those pressures.
Related resources
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Consultation Summary
This document contains a consultation summary of Orkney Islands Council’s draft Visitor Management Plan for 2027–2037. It explains how the Council intends to manage rising seasonal visitor numbers and pressures on services, infrastructure, public spaces, communities and heritage, using evidence from residents, businesses, Council services and visitors. The plan sets out a regenerative approach focused on community wellbeing, with actions covering transport and facilities, visitor information and behaviour, research, funding and partnership working, coordinated by Council officers and reviewed annually.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Orkney Islands Council Draft Visitor Management Plan 2027-2037
This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s draft Visitor Management Plan for 2027–2037. It sets out how the Council will manage growing and seasonal visitor pressures on public services, transport, infrastructure, heritage, housing and communities, using an approach aimed at leaving places and communities stronger. Its action plan covers visitor information, cruise and volume tourism, roads, public transport, toilets, waste, accommodation, data, funding and joint working, with annual reviews of progress.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Appendix 1: Our Orkney, Our Story Report
This document contains findings from community stories, stakeholder discussions and workshops about tourism in Orkney, gathered to support a new Visitor Management Plan. It records strong support for tourism’s economic and cultural value, alongside concerns about pressure on roads, ferries, public services, housing, heritage and the environment. It also sets out community-suggested actions, including better communication, stronger leadership, improved transport and facilities, and more locally led, balanced tourism. These actions reflect participants’ views and aren’t formal recommendations.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Appendix 2: Evidence Consolidation and Issues Analysis
This document contains the evidence and analysis used to develop the Visitor Management Plan. It brings together community and industry views, Council service reviews and the 2024 visitor survey, identifying and grouping 28 tourism-related issues. These include weak governance, overcrowding, environmental damage, pressure on transport and public services, limited visitor information, housing shortages and poor infrastructure. Local plans and other engagement findings broadly support the results and add detail about how these issues affect communities.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Appendix 3: Income Generation and Savings Options Analysis
This document contains an analysis of 41 possible ways to raise income or reduce costs through tourism-related services, charges, retail, visitor experiences, donations and partnerships. It groups each option by whether the Council could deliver it directly, influence it, support others to lead it, or has no role. The appendix provides an initial view of practical and financial issues but does not assess options or set priorities.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Equality Impact Assessment
This document contains an equality impact assessment for Orkney Islands Council’s Visitor Management Plan 2027–2037. It considers how tourism pressures may affect residents, visitors, businesses and people who rely on accessible transport, facilities and services, with particular impacts linked to age, disability, pregnancy and maternity, caring responsibilities and financial disadvantage. It identifies possible barriers from congestion, access changes, digital information, cashless payments and extra costs, and sets out actions to protect accessibility and provide alternatives where needed.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Island Communities Impact Assessment
This document contains an Island Communities Impact Assessment for Orkney Islands Council’s Visitor Management Plan 2027–2037. It explains how the plan will respond to tourism pressures on services, infrastructure, transport and communities, while recognising differences between islands. Evidence and consultation found no significantly different impacts on any island community, so a full assessment isn’t required. The plan will use flexible, locally suitable actions, further engagement where needed and annual reviews to monitor and adjust its effects.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Strategic Environmental Assessment Pre-screening Notification
This document contains a pre-screening notification for Orkney Islands Council’s Visitor Management Plan 2027–2037. The 10-year operational plan sets out measures to manage tourism pressures on Council services, infrastructure and public spaces across Orkney, while supporting communities, heritage and visitors. It does not propose development or physical works and is expected to have no significant environmental effects; it considers environmental protection, early action, prevention, addressing pressures at source and visitor contributions to service costs.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
FAQs
What is the Visitor Management Plan?
What is the Visitor Management Plan?
The plan sets out how we (Orkney Islands Council) will manage the impact of tourism on local services, infrastructure and public spaces over the next 10 years. It is about making sure tourism benefits Orkney by protecting the services and places residents rely on, and by improving the experience for visitors.
Why is a plan needed?
Why is a plan needed?
Tourism is very important to Orkney’s economy and visitor numbers continue to grow. During the busy summer season this can put pressure on roads, ferries, buses, public toilets, parking, waste services, heritage sites and other facilities, and we have to manage these pressures within limited budgets. A clear plan helps us coordinate work across services and take practical, realistic steps to manage tourism pressures.
What is the Council responsible for?
What is the Council responsible for?
We manage and support a range of services used by both residents and visitors, for example transport, campsites and museums. However, we're not responsible for every aspect of tourism. This plan focuses on the services, infrastructure and public spaces that fall within our remit.
What is not included in the plan?
What is not included in the plan?
The plan is not about managing all tourism across Orkney or attracting more visitors. It's also not an infrastructure investment programme. Capital projects are considered separately through our Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Development Plan.
What does "regenerative tourism" mean?
What does "regenerative tourism" mean?
It sees tourism actively improving the long-term prosperity and wellbeing of Orkney. Success is measured by whether communities and the environment are thriving, not by visitor numbers. The idea is that great places to live make great places to visit.
What are the main issues identified?
What are the main issues identified?
Our research highlighted seasonal pressure on services, transport capacity issues, infrastructure maintenance challenges, overcrowding at some sites, housing concerns, gaps in visitor information, irresponsible behaviour by some visitors and businesses, and limited resources available to manage tourism pressures.
How was the plan developed?
How was the plan developed?
We've used community feedback, discussions with tourism businesses and organisations, reviews of our services, visitor survey results and other local evidence. This information helped identify problems and develop proposed actions to address them.
What actions are being proposed?
What actions are being proposed?
The draft plan includes actions such as improving visitor information, promoting responsible behaviour, collecting better data, assessing roads, transport, parking and public toilets options, developing a cruise management plan, supporting accommodation research, and strengthening coordination across our services.
Will there be new charges or a tourism tax?
Will there be new charges or a tourism tax?
The plan explores ways to improve funding for services under pressure from tourism. This does not include introducing a levy on overnight accommodation. Previous work found that the current overnight visitor levy model wasn't suitable for Orkney, although we continue to discuss alternative approaches with the Scottish Government, such as a point-of-entry levy.
How could residents benefit?
How could residents benefit?
The aim is to protect access to local services, improve public spaces, reduce pressures at busy sites managed by the Council, support community wellbeing and make sure tourism contributes positively to island life.
How could visitors benefit?
How could visitors benefit?
Visitors could benefit from clearer information, better managed sites, improved facilities and a higher quality experience across Orkney.
Prefer a PDF? Download these FAQs here.
Have your say
Your feedback will help inform the final version of the plan before it's presented to Councillors later this year.