They are considered among the finest in the world and Scottish oysters have delivered a “remarkable” economic boost to a coastal town that is shaking off its deprivation tag.
Torrential rain and extreme weather warnings were not enough to put off visitors travelling to Stranraer for this year’s oyster festival.
The three-day event reeled in a record number of attendees and generated an additional £1.7million for the local economy, according to an independent impact report.
More than 18,000 people flocked to the scenic harbour town on the shore of Loch Ryan, which is home to Scotland’s last remaining wild, native oyster fishery.
This year’s attendance was up 6 per cent on 2019, the last year it was held before the pandemic struck, when 17,000 people travelled to the town.
In 2017, the year the festival was launched, 10,000 visitors attended.
Romano Petrucci, Chair of Stranraer Development Trust, the community organisation behind the oyster festival, described the figures as “truly remarkable.”
The study, which was carried out by MKA Economics, also noted that this level of visitor spend should help to safeguard 25 tourism-related local jobs and said the figures were impressive given the “ongoing cost-of-living crisis”.
READ MORE: How to fix Scotland's over-fished and damaged seas - rewilding
The festival took place on the first weekend of September, the start of the UK’s native oyster season.
Crucially, the report found that 87% of visitors were in the area as a direct result of the festival, and noted increases in the numbers of visitors staying in the area, as well as increases in average duration of stay, compared with the 2019 event.
Researchers also analysed the impact of the festival on participating local businesses and found traders reported individual economic impacts of up to £10,000 each.
Half (49%) of traders said that the town’s hosting of the festival encouraged them to think about new ways to develop or promote their business, product or service.
“These are truly remarkable figures,” said Mr Petrucci.
“I think we can say, without any shadow of a doubt, that the oyster festival is now the main catalyst for economic change and destination development in Stranraer.
“For a three-day event to have such a significant impact on our local economy is a testament to the passion and the hard work of our community.
“And to have achieved this in the face of extraordinarily bad weather is simply incredible.”
He added: “This event was created by our community to celebrate our place, our produce and our people.
“We care very deeply about this town, and that care is what has elevated this festival to become a driver for economic change.”
Mr Petrucci said his “heart sank” when he saw the weather forecasts, given it was the town’s first festival since the pandemic.
He said: “We have had to wait a long time for the return of our festival after the pandemic, and when the weather forecasters issued their warnings of extreme weather disruption over the festival weekend, my heart sank.
“So it was humbling indeed to watch people disregarding the torrential rain, filling the waterfront marquees and having an absolutely fantastic time.
The report concluded: “The 2022 festival once again celebrated the local produce and the coastal heritage of South West Scotland, and attracted a total of 18,000 visitors, compared to 17,000 in 2019, 14,000 in 2018 and the 10,000 in 2017.
“This is an impressive growth rate over a four-year period.
“The net additional economic impact of visitor spend as a result of the Stranraer Oyster Festival was 6% higher than that reported in 2019, in the region of £1.7million.
“This is an impressive growth trend, considering it has maintained growth over four years, as well as the inclement weather, a two-year lay-off and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.”
READ MORE: New fund offers hope for the revitalisation of Scotland's coasts
Taking place from September 2- 4, the 2022 programme featured celebrity chefs including Clodagh McKenna and Tony Singh.
A Scottish Government report found the GVA (Gross Value Added) from aquaculture increased by 45% from £387m to £560m from 2018 to 2019, while the longer term trend from 2010 to 2019 increased by 205% from £184m. From 2010 to 2019, employment increased by 25%.
The industry provided employment for 2,406 people, contributing 0.09% of the total Scottish employment and 3% of the marine economy employment.
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