A JOINT initiative has been launched to boost the local economy by attracting more tourists.

Eight councils in the Glasgow City Region – including Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire – have pledged to work together to boost visitor numbers by more than one million by 2023.

The plan was approved by leaders of the eight councils and will work to enhance the overall visitor experience and the growing spend of tourists.

It forms part of collaborative work being delivered through the joint Glasgow City Region economic strategy, launched last year, which set out a range of measures to grow the economy, jobs and business.

Stephen McCabe, Glasgow City Region’s portfolio lead for tourism and destination marketing, said: “The councils involved are making a commitment to work together to boost tourism for the benefit of all of our areas.

“The Glasgow City Region tourism strategy is a starting point in working together across the region to make sure that what we individually offer is part of a bigger offer to visitors.

“That’s got benefits for each council area, for the wider region and for Scotland as a tourism and visitor location of choice.

“Tourists and visitors to each of our areas do not recognise boundaries and neither should we. At the heart of the Glasgow City Region tourism strategy is a commitment to work across boundaries and ensure that visits are seamless, consistent and high quality, no matter where you visit across the region.

“The vision of the tourism strategy is to build a strong, inclusive, competitive and outward-looking tourism sector which delivers high quality, value for money and memorable visitor experiences by skilled and passionate people.”

As part of the plan, councils will look to promote the many tourist attractions in their area.

In East Renfrewshire, destinations such as Dams to Darnley Country Park, Whitelee Windfarm, Cowan Park and Rouken Glen Park will be supported to attract visitors.

Among the Renfrewshire attractions in line for a boost are Paisley Abbey, Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park and intu Braehead.

The new strategy has been developed in collaboration with a number of partners, including representatives from each of the eight City Region councils, as well as organisations such as Scottish Enterprise, Visit Scotland, the Scottish Tourism Alliance and the Glasgow Convention Bureau.