South of Scotland Destination Alliance

Profile

About the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA)

The SSDA is the industry-led Destination Management and Marketing Organisation representing the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, dedicated to supporting, developing, and representing responsible tourism.

What We Do & How We Work

• Unified Regional Voice: Championing local tourism to government while leading the region’s shared 2024–34 Responsible Tourism Strategy.
• Driven by Local Priorities: Operating 14 ‘Locally Led Destination Development’ hubs, ensuring direct input from local businesses and communities.
• Consumer Campaigning: Promoting the region 365 days a year under the flagship consumer brand Scotland Starts Here.

Our Impact & Reach

• Visitor Economy Growth: Helped boost the local visitor economy by 33% (to over £1bn), grew visitor numbers to 5.5m+, and expanded tourism jobs to 15,652.
• Target Beating: Achieved original 2025 COVID-recovery targets 2.5 years ahead of schedule.
• Award-Winning: Led the South of Scotland to win more national Thistle Awards than any other Scottish region.
• Digital Footprint: 1M+ website visitors, 30k+ app users, 93k+ social media followers, and a total reach exceeding 2.4 million.

10-Year Vision Co-delivering 118 strategic action points alongside public and private partners to grow the regional visitor economy by an additional £1 billion and support 6,000 new jobs over the next decade.

Get Involved A growing network of nearly 750 members across the region. Free basic membership is available to all local businesses, with core membership offered at £85/year for enhanced listings and marketing access.