Outlander star Sam Heughan is on a mission to put southern Scotland on the map.
Speaking as the keynote at the South of Scotland Destination Alliance’s (SSDA) annual conference, the 45-year-old actor shared his frustration at how often the region is overlooked.
“It’s the part of Scotland that’s got, I’m going to say, more history than all the rest,” he said.
“It really is this amazing little place and everyone goes past it – they travel past it.”
Having recently purchased the Crafty Distillery in Newton Stewart and rebranding it as the Galloway Distillery, Heughan wants visitors to experience not just his products but the entire area.
“I want to really push people to come south when they land at one of our airports and come and visit us,” he explained.
“I think they will also fall in love with it – they’ll lose their heart to Galloway.”
Born in Balmaclellan and raised in New Galloway, Heughan is a passionate ambassador for the places he grew up. He highlighted the region’s coastlines, hills, and tight-knit communities as just some of its untapped attractions.
He also revealed ambitious plans for his distillery, aiming to expand production while promoting local businesses and sites. This includes curated itineraries of his favorite spots and featuring different locations in a monthly newsletter.
“Hopefully people will finally get a picture of what actually the south of Scotland has got to offer,” he said.
“I think we’ve got a really great opportunity to encourage more people to come and enjoy the part of Scotland that I love the most.”
Through his work, Heughan hopes to shift attention southward, showing tourists that Scotland’s charm doesn’t end at the Highlands.
