The rallying call from an Oban hotel manager, hammering home the importance of driving winter tourism at seaside towns such as the one in which he operates and at “iconic” locations in Scotland generally, grabbed the attention.

The observations of Marc Gardner, general manager of Crerar Hotel Group’s Oban Bay Hotel, and the case he makes are, in themselves, interesting enough.

What makes his intervention even more interesting is that Oban has just been proclaimed Town of the Year in the Scotland Loves Local Awards 2024.

And, on a personal level, having lived in Oban for a while in the early 1990s and visited many times since, his comments were all the more thought-provoking.

Oban and other big Scottish visitor draws face challenges on various fronts in attracting winter tourism.

The first that springs to mind is the weather.

Mention Oban and winter in the same sentence, and it conjures up memories of drizzle.

Of course, there are clear days too.

However, while Mr Gardner is right when he points out that some tourists relish the type of rain that makes the shoulders of many Scots slump, weather is undoubtedly a challenge in attracting winter tourism.

Another challenge is one highlighted by Mr Gardner himself.

Many tourism-related businesses in Oban and in other places which see large fluctuations in visitor numbers close down over the winter.

Okay, so those are two big difficulties.

However, the reward would be great if Scottish tourism in general could enjoy greater success in extending the season into the somewhat dark winter.

For some........

© Herald Scotland