Just over half of hotel rooms in Dumfries and Galloway were let in 2018.
VisitScotland figures shows 54 per cent of were filled, the lowest take-up in the country.
Call for more to be done to promote Dumfries and Galloway as a tourism destination
We asked people in King Street, Castle Douglas, what they think would help attract more tourists to the region.
Kevin McAdam from My Thyme and Friends said: “I think we should encourage the bus companies by offering the bus drivers free meals to come here for an hour.
“If the cafes were on board, everybody could chip in and cover the cost of their meals. You would have people walking about making the town busy.
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“Parking is good and we definitely need that to stay and to keep the small, independent shops. When the big shops pull out, the footfall isn’t harmed as much.”
Jessie Page, who was helping out at Heart Songs, agreed that shops need to be filled. She explained: “I think it’s a shame a lot of the shops along the street have gone. To see empty shops is not a draw, something needs to be done to encourage small businesses to come back.
“Make things pretty – I have lived in tourist towns a lot and the prettier you make it, the more people come.”
Vic Rastall in the PA Pop-up said: “The shops are privately owned and people who are paying the mortgages on them still need to get the money in. The rates are too high. The shops are shut on Sunday – if people come away for a long weekend they’re not open. Fix the roads, they’re not in a good condition.”
Eunice Welsh from Posthorn 90 reckoned the figures were not a reflection on the area. She said: “Dumfries and Galloway is one of the most beautiful places you can come to. I don’t think you’ll get many people that come to Castle Douglas that don’t like it.
