The Berwickshire reports that the 'VisitScotland' Area director responsible for marketing the Borders since 1998 is off to fresh fields and postures new. The Berwickshire credits the lady with many imaginative initiatives such as the 'Edinburgh Escape the City Campaign' Yeah lets go to Glasgow and get the hell out of Embra especially during the Festival. But did they go to the Borders? I think not. Then there was the 'Visiting Friends and Relatives campaign' Fine if you have Fs and Rs in the Borders. Most people don't given the small population around here. Flop? Probably.

Then there was the daft stunt to 'buy' Berwick and give it back to Scotland. Apparently this produced £1 million worth (how do you work that out)of press coverage. Did wonders for MacDonalds in Berwick but I doubt if many of the curious crossed into Berwickshire except to find a refuge for Big Mac wrappers. There was also the underlying assumption that without including Berwick in the Scottis Borders they were not worth visiting.

Then there was the 'Award Winning' Dog Friendly Destination Borders. Impact not recorded but I suppose if someone could count any increase in plastic coated dog pooh we might have something to go on. But no one to my knowledge noticed a dog buying a pint in the Cross or the Allanton Inn. Economic effect on the Borders: nil, or even less.

And It was this lady who apparently thought up the Borders Ambassadors Club-Huttonian is a self invited member of this distinguished body, But this seems to be a lot of nice geezers and geezeresses meeting in nice places telling each other how nice the Borders are. Impact on Tourism? Seejudgement above.

And it is implied in the article that it was our former director who marketed the brand: Borders: Scotland's leading short break destination. Good for 40 minutes on a very sunny day but only enroute to or from somewhere more exciting. Not a great accolade I would have thought.

Someone really needs to start again. Good luck to the 'strong and dynamic team' bequeathed by the outgoing director to tourist starved Scottish Borders. And for goodness sake abandon nationalism for common sense. Sell the Borders as a whole, both sides of the wild frontier make a much more inviting 'product'when put in the same check out basket.

It is not revealed where her destination is to be. A challenge hopefully?

Basra?

Now the Basrawis might enjoy a really long break in Duns.  ¶ 12:49 PM