Gig at Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow. © VisitScotland / Luigi Di Pasquale |
Driving improvement and seizing opportunities – together |
As we start a new year, a key learning I’ll take from 2024 is the passion businesses have for sharing best practice with each other. I saw this recently at the Scottish Thistle Awards final and it’s been a recurring theme in my conversations since becoming CEO. I’m keen VisitScotland supports this drive for improvement through our networking events and business support activity. We’re all working to make Scotland a must visit, must return, year-round destination, so it’s in our collective interest to share experiences and learning.
Globally, travel is back at pre-pandemic levels and set to grow. Consumers are choosing to spend on experiences over more general consumption. This presents opportunities to continue growing our share of higher spending international visitors and develop unique Scottish experiences linked to our strengths of nature, history, culture, food and drink.
This year, I look forward to building on our efforts to develop a more sustainable, inclusive and award-winning tourism and events industry. I’m excited about the opportunities that await to collaborate with businesses, partners, communities and stakeholders to create memorable experiences for visitors which drives sustainable economic growth. Read more about my thoughts within my 100 days article, and for now, enjoy your latest edition of the Tourism Insider.
Kind regards
Vicki Miller
Chief Executive, VisitScotland |
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Business and experience development |
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A customer being served. © VisitScotland / Connor Mollison |
Business Support Hub available this spring |
A key part of our business support programme is the delivery of a new Business Support Hub website. As we kick off the new year, work on the website is really ramping up as we move towards the first version of the website being available in the spring. Take a look at progress made, industry engagement and how to get involved. |
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Working in the industry. © VisitScotland / Connor Mollison |
| Join the industry user panel |
We want the Business Support Hub to be the go-to place for tourism and events advice and support. To do that, we need your help. We’ll be testing what we’ve developed so far with our users. Joining our user panel means you can have an influence over the advice and support we provide.
Give your feedback |
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Coos in cardis PR campaign. © VisitScotland / Lesley Martin |
Coos in cardis promote winter breaks |
We’ve launched a PR campaign to encourage winter breaks in Scotland. We know that travel outside the traditional summer season is becoming increasingly appealing for our international markets, and we hope our profile-raising "super moo-dels" can ignite that interest further. Read more on the campaign and meet Julie, the adorable Highland Coo... |
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Cooking at Monachyle Mhor. © VisitScotland / Kenny Lam |
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The first video of our winter series, featuring stunning locations across Scotland, has been published. An edit of the film is being used as part of our TripAdvisor partnership and is available on our media toolkit – as well as a range of imagery – for you to use in your own marketing.
Watch the video |
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Red Deer Experience, Highland Safaris. © VisitScotland / Kenny Lam |
| Top performing social posts |
Our consumer social channels include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X. In 2024 we posted over 1,600 posts about Scotland, which were viewed more than 127 million times. See what type of content our followers were loving last year.
Top posts |
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Jupiter in the night sky, Ballindalloch. © Andrew Allan |
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Our marketing activity content – including social media and video – is guided by our marketing calendar which focuses on seasonal themes with key messages. Discover how you can align with it throughout the year and widen your reach.
Spotlight themes |
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Panel discussion at an industry event |
Upcoming events and training |
There are many events and training opportunities coming up over the next few months. Not sure what’s on? Our events calendar is a good place to start. Here’s some highlights: |
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29 January: Regional events industry engagement workshop (Edinburgh)
- 30 January: Scotland's Forth Valley Tourism Conference, Stirling
- 4 and 6 February: Outer Hebrides Travel Trade workshops
- 5 February: Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG) Conference
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Signature Conference series |
Early release tickets are live for the Signature Conference Series, a programme of events specially curated by the Scottish Tourism Alliance to mark Scottish Tourism Month 2025. It also marks the midway point of Scotland’s National Tourism Strategy, Scotland Outlook 2030. |
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10 March: The Signature Conference Workshops, EICC, Edinburgh
- 10 March: The Signature Conference Evening Gathering, the Signet Library, Edinburgh
- 11 March: The Signature Conference, EICC, Edinburgh
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Contribute to National Park consultation |
NatureScot has opened the formal (statutory) consultation on whether a new National Park should be established in Galloway and parts of South and East Ayrshire. The formal consultation runs from 7 November 2024 until 14 February 2025. Businesses are being encouraged to have their voice heard. |
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Understanding the UK’s ETA |
The UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme grants individuals’ permission to travel to the UK. This digital requirement is gradually being introduced. For now, all eligible non-European nationals require an ETA, with eligible Europeans, able to apply from 5 March. Discover how the scheme might impact some of your visitors. |
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VisitScotland, Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG |
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