YEARLY REV I EW | MARCH 20 1 8

TOURISM

SCOTLAND 2020

@visitscotland

S T E P H E N L E C K I E , C H A I R , T O U R I S M L E A D E R S H I P G R O U P ,

MA R C H 2 0 1 8

F O R EWO R D

Over the last five and a half years,

Tourism Scotland 2020 (TS2020) has

brought our industry together. It has

provided the single framework around

which the many tourism industry

groups, initiatives and organisations

have gathered, providing a common

language and a reason for discussions to

take place.

The delivery of the strategy has been

overseen by the Tourism Leadership

Group, comprising senior industry,

Government and public sector

representatives, and is supported by the

Scottish Tourism Alliance.

The success of the TS2020 strategy,

colloquially known as ‘The Rocket’, has

resulted in over 35 destination and

sector strategies being aligned to the

national framework, and whereas it

provides a framework, it also enables

plenty of flexibility so that regions and

sectors can express their own

personalities and highlight their own

strengths and challenges. 

The review concluded that, reassuringly,

our framework was still fit for purpose

and looking across the different

strategies we could see clearly that

there were common themes which

could be effectively addressed with a

national approach. Four national

priorities were agreed;

1. Increasing the digital capabilities of

the sector

2. Increasing the leadership

capabilities of the sector

3. Influencing investment

4. Raising the quality of the visitor

experience, in particular skills

This alignment helped us significantly

when we undertook the TS2020 Mid

Term Review in 2016.  

• The cycle of the renewal and review of

destination strategies continues, with

Fife and Aberdeenshire being reviewed,

Renfrewshire recently published and

Shetland and Glasgow City Region in

development. All are aligned to TS2020.

The heritage tourism and marine

tourism strategies are also reporting on

progress in the coming month. 

Since the launch of the TS2020 Mid Term Review, activity on these four themes has

been underway. We have continued to advise and support where we can the

regional and sector groups in the delivery and alignment of their own strategies.

Some highlights from the year include:

• Our flagship digital programme, Digital

Tourism Scotland, got a revamp this year

with the launch of a new digital platform

on www.digitaltourismscotland.com. Far

more user friendly, the website lists all

the events across the country, together

with support and advice. The

programme has engaged with over

20,000 industry professionals and 10% of

the tourism industry so far.

• The importance of investing in

infrastructure and facilities which

benefit both the communities and

visitors has been highlighted over the

summer, and the launch of the Scottish

Government’s Rural Tourism

Infrastructure Fund helps to recognise

this. 

• Tourism related investments are being

considered within the majority of City

Region Deals and Regional Growth

Deals which are underway or in

development at the moment. The

Tourism Leadership Group partners are

feeding in to ensure a joined up

strategic approach and that tourism

opportunities within the deals are

maximised.

• People and skills continue to focus on

the need to encourage people, young

and old, to see tourism as a career. The

STA and other industry leaders continue

to work with Springboard,

employees and Universities, colleges

and schools to highlight the varied

careers available.

As you can see work continues to

support the delivery of TS2020. We

encourage all partners to report on their

activities so we can highlight the

collective impact. This will keep Scottish

tourism on track and make it ready to

face the next decade with confidence.

To help get word out, we have launched

the ‘TS2020 Update’ a bi-monthly

publication which focuses on the key

TS2020-related initiatives. The STA’s

monthly publication ‘The Talker’ aimed

at tourism businesses also includes

strategic information relevant to

businesses.

Our industry and our businesses need to

be as resilient as they can be, so that

with falling budgets and rising costs we

can weather any storms which may

approach our shores. 

So looking ahead to 2018, the Tourism

Leadership Group’s focus will turn to the

next tourism strategy beyond 2020. We

will review what has been achieved,

what more needs to be done or needs to

be done differently in the coming years.

Whilst this is underway, TS2020 and all

the related strategies will continue to be

delivered. We would expect there to be

continuity between TS2020 and the

next strategy.

TS2020 is a team effort and on behalf of

the Tourism Leadership Group, I would

like to thank everyone involved across

the country from different organisations,

companies, agencies and at a local,

regional, sectoral and national levels.

Together, ‘the future of our industry is

in our hands’.

S t e p h e n L e c k i e , C h a i r , T o u r i s m L e a d e r s h i p G r o u p

Our Big 5 Questions campaign aims to

bring together in one place the

considerable amount of support that is

available to tourism businesses and I

would encourage you to visit the pages

and take advantage of the help that is

available.

We know that uncertainty is around the

corner and this may affect our economy.

With rising costs and little growth in the

domestic market, we need to make the

most of the opportunities which are

presented to us, such as capitalising on

the buoyant inbound international

markets and huge growth in day visits. 

TOTAL OVERNIGHT VISITOR SPEND

TOTAL GROWTH MARKETS OVERNIGHT SPEND

INDUSTRY  PERFORMANCE

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey / International Passenger Survey Forecast expressed in nominal terms, including inflation

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey / International Passenger Survey. (£million / nominal (includes inflation))

Spend (£ million / nominal) 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2020(e) (e)

Home Turf 2,517 3,018 2,892 2,889 2,871 3,110 2,897 2,940 3,586

Near Neighbours 660 732 641 698 706 693 629 818 875

Distant Cousins 348 414 450 457 654 582 742 747 505

Emerging Markets 45 34 55 79 93 60 65 93 70

AVERAGE VISITOR SPEND

TOTAL TOURISM TURNOVER

TOURISM JOBS

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey / International Passenger Survey

Source: Scot Gov 'Growth Sector Statistics Database' - published 30 Aug 17.

Source: Scot Gov 'Growth Sector Statistics Database' - published 16 Nov 17.

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LEADERSHIP

No one organisation can deliver the

national tourism strategy and with over

35 strategies aligned to the national

approach, the number of individuals

and organisations involved with leading

and delivering TS2020 is significant. To

deliver this collegiate approach, positive

relationships have been established

based on trust. It is truly a team effort.

At a national level, oversight of the

strategy remains the responsibility of

the Tourism Leadership Group which

comprises senior representatives from

the industry, public sector and Scottish

Government. The Scottish Tourism

Alliance continues to provide support to

this group and other TS2020-related

initiatives through its role as

coordinator. The organisation also acts

as champion for the strategy.

Leading the Strategy

This year marks the 25th anniversary of

the Scottish Thistle Awards, Scotland's

tourism industry Oscars. The awards

reflect the national tourism strategy and

entries were up 5% on last year. 

Recognising and celebrating

excellence in Scottish Tourism

Developed and led by the Scottish

Tourism Alliance, Scottish Tourism

Week 2017 had the theme of ‘The

Future Beyond 2020’. The week shines

a spotlight on the tourism industry

and its importance to Scotland.

Over 450 people attended the STA

Signature Conference which kicked

off the week and over 25 events and

conferences were held across

Scotland over the next 9 days. In total

over 1,500 people were involved in the

tourism conversation and there were

over 158,000 impressions on Twitter.

In 2018, Scottish Tourism

Week became Scottish Tourism

Month.

Scottish Tourism Week

750 entries for the 2017

awards 1 New National Category -  Best

Business Event

Freda Newton, Silver Thistle Winner 2017

Based on an internationally acclaimed

initiative originating in Melbourne, the

Destination Leaders Programme (DLP)

was designed to identify emerging

tourism leaders and provide them with

the skills, knowledge and networks they

need to become effective destination

leaders.  It is funded jointly through

Scottish Enterprise and delegate fees

and delivered by Edinburgh Napier

University.

Now in its fifth year, 81 individuals have

graduated from the DLP creating an

extensive network of destination leaders

across Scotland.

Destination Leaders Programme

In Glasgow, the Glasgow Welcomes

initiative led by Glasgow Life and

supported by Scottish Enterprise has

launched a pilot Aspiring Leaders

Programme. This new leadership

training programme will assist

managers in tourism and hospitality  to

improve their leadership skills and

introduce them to business efficiency

and productivity drivers. Fifteen aspiring

leaders have been identified within the

city and the course commenced in

January 2018. 

Aspiring Leaders Programme

This year, the DLP was awarded the 2017

THELMA Award (Times Higher

Education Leadership and Management

Awards) for Outstanding Employer

Engagement Initiative which recognises

the best examples of innovation,

teamwork and enterprise at academic

institutions.

Click here for more about the impacts

and outcomes of the programme from

alumni.

The Business Improvement Academy is a

Scottish Enterprise initiative which aims

to improve productivity by focusing on

incremental improvements and

behavioural change. Academies

have been delivered in Edinburgh and

Glasgow with plans for Aberdeenshire.

Apex Hotels and Radisson Blu have both

taken advantage of the programme, with

Radisson Blu demonstrating a significant

drop in cost of labour percentage

(COL%). As a result Apex Hotels

focused on increased innovation and staff

development.

The Business Improvement Academy

Scotland’s sustainable tourism objectives

reach across all parts of the sector and

the strategy aims to support a strong,

resilient and sustainable industry.

Sustainable Tourism Objectives: 

1. Grow sustainable tourism

opportunities 

2. Help the sector adapt to climate

change

3. Make holidays accessible to all

4. Improve the quality of jobs

5. Support communities and enhance

quality of life

6. Protect and enhance natural and

cultural heritage

7. Reduce resource use and waste

8. Reduce transport tourism impact

As you will read, many of the initiatives in

this report contribute to one or more of

the objectives.

In October 2017, Interface and

Adaptation Scotland organised Fit for

our Future, an event which aimed to

prompt tourism stakeholders to

consider how a changing climate

might impact our industry.  In

January 2018, Adaptation Scotland

published tourism-specific business

advice in collaboration with Scottish

Enterprise, VisitScotland and The

2020 Climate Group.

Help the Sector Adapt to Climate

Change

SUSTAINABLE

TOURISM

5. Support communities and enhance

quality of life

6. Protect and enhance natural and

cultural heritage

7. Reduce resource use and waste

8. Reduce transport tourism impact

Reduce Resource Use and Waste

Green Tourism is the largest national

sustainable grading programme in the

world, and celebrates its 20th

anniversary. The role Green Tourism plays

is to support members in translating

sustainable goals into auditable business

actions that better equip businesses and

the planet. Established, and still based, in

Scotland the programme has

undertaken over 15,000 assessments

since it began in 1997, with over 800

tourism businesses participating in

Scotland, 

Green Tourism has been a leader in

supporting Scotland’s Climate Change

Commitments.

To mark 20 years, Green Tourism

has produced a special report

highlighting the contributions which

Green Tourism members have

collectively made.

Tourism businesses have

been involved in over 5,000

green projects, from tree

planting to litter picks and

community gardens.

Over 5 million bed nights p.a.

have been spent in Green

Tourism serviced

accommodation.

1 million tonnes of water

saved.  

¼ million tonnes of carbon

saved. 

25 million visitors p.a. to

accredited attractions.

Over 30% of Green Tourism

businesses are avoiding

single use plastic water

bottles.

The need for the tourism sector to use data more effectively and creatively continues

to grow in importance. With  increased emphasis on effective monitoring and a

recognition that large datasets can be mined innovatively to provide tourism

insights, a number of tourism projects are beginning to come to the fore. 

TOURISM DATA

An industry/public sector steering group

is being formed with backing of the

Tourism Leadership Group to lead the

delivery of this plan, which will support

the industry to increase data driven

innovation.

The plan will coordinate strategic

engagements with key partners

including University of Edinburgh who

are taking a lead role in the data

activities funded through the Edinburgh

City Region Deal.

Data Opportunity – Tourism Plan

Scottish Enterprise is leading a

partnership of public sector and industry

to create a Tourism Data Opportunity

Plan. The plan will help ensure that

the tourism industry is well positioned to

benefit from the rapid developments

around data driven innovation in line

with Scottish Government’s Open Data

Strategy.

Creating new ways to ensure

Edinburgh’s tourism industry meets

its strategic goal of £1.6bn by 2020

was the objective of this project.

Scottish Enterprise recruited over 90

data scientist and UX (user

experience), digital and tourism

experts. Local tourism partners

provided the focus (and the data) for

the tech sector allowing them to

contextualise their solutions.

Edinburgh Tourism Innovation

Challenge

A number of regions, including Falkirk,

Perthshire and Argyll & the Isles, are part

of the pilot. A number of other

destinations, including our National

Parks and Glasgow, undertaking their

own regular business sentiment surveys. 

VisitScotland Tourism Barometer

The Challenge has already resulted in

three new businesses forming to

provide travel tech solutions which

address challenges in Scotland and

are scalable to other destinations.

One uses gamification to address

visitor dispersal, a second focuses

on crowd safety and management

and the third taps into the $150bn

Chinese wedding market.

VisitScotland is piloting a new

business barometer with a number of

destinations. This quarterly survey

aims to help destinations better

understand how businesses are

feeling and performing. 

INFLUENCINGINVESTMENT

Due to tourism’s reach across so many

parts of the economy, it has been

difficult to build an effective case for

strategic investment. To better

articulate the case the Tourism

Leadership Group has been working

closely with the Scottish Government

and agency partners to develop a clear

narrative for the sector’s economic

contribution.

The Tourism Leadership Group has also

been looking to better understand

available tourism data in order to ensure

tourism's contribution to the Scottish

economy is clear.

A Tourism Facts & Figures document is

to be launched in Spring 2018.

Tourism Development Framework

The Tourism Development Framework

for Scotland was first published in June

2013 with a focus on the importance of

the planning system in Scotland and

the role it plays in assisting and

promoting growth in the visitor

economy. The Framework aligns

directly with Tourism Scotland 2020,

and is now referenced in national

planning policy and strategy

documents. Private sector operators

and investors are able to use it as an

important source of support and

advice.

This Framework was refreshed in

January 2017 and a list of projects 

highlighted over £16.5 billion of planned

infrastructure investment to 2020. A

update is planned for late 2018.

One action within the Framework was

to make the information more dynamic

by matching the current provision of

tourism products with future demand

using data analytics and research

trends. VisitScotland is leading this

work and hopes to have three pilot

projects in place during 2018.

Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund

In October 2017, the Scottish

Government announced the

creation of a £6m Rural Tourism

Infrastructure Fund which seeks to

support sustainable growth of

tourism in popular rural areas

across Scotland. Funding for the

first three sites to receive support

was announced in February. 

These were:

City Region Deals

Additional infrastructure

investment will be secured through

six City Region Deals. This

investment will support

tourism through improvements to

transport infrastructure and in

some regions there are specific

tourism investments.

Glasgow City Region Deal – signed

August 2014

Aberdeen City Region Deal – signed

November 2016

Inverness City Region Deal – signed

January 2017

Edinburgh & South East Scotland

City Region Deal

Tay Cities City Region Deal

Stirling and Clackmannanshire City

Region Deal

Standing Stones of Stenness, Orkney

(£80k for car park)

Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye (£300k to

develop visitor facilities including

toilets)

Neist Point, Isle of Skye (£100k to

improve road access & parking)

DIGITAL CAPABILITIES 

Digital Tourism Scotland

Digital Tourism Scotland (DTS) is a £1.2

million programme to support tourism

businesses in harnessing the power of digital

(£656,757 Scottish Government and £561,757

SE). The programme is led by Scottish

Enterprise in partnership with Business

Gateway, Scottish Government, Highlands

and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Tourism

Alliance, Skills Development Scotland and

VisitScotland.

The programme supports the TS2020 Mid

Term Review priority to increase digital

capabilities of the sector, with specific aims

to:

1. Grow the volume of businesses trading

online.

2. Improve sector productivity through more

businesses adapting digital processes.

To date, over 3500 delegates have

participated in over 200 workshops and

awareness raising events have been held

across the country.

Phase Two began in 2017 with the launch of

the new Digital Tourism Scotland website

-www.digitaltourismscotland.com - and an

updated series of events and workshops. All

activities are being promoted under the

strapline 'digital expertise without the

jargon'.

DTS Progress to date (2015 – 2018):

20k individuals have

participated in DTS

webinars showcasing latest

technologies.

65% of businesses said since

engaging with DTS they

were more likely to

introduce new digital

processes.

DTS maximises public investment by bringing together Enterprise Agency,

Digital Boost, Business Gateway and VisitScotland support.

of accommodation

businesses in VS.com are

now bookable online, up

from 3% in 2015.

25 destinations across

Scotland are involved

with DTS.

48%

Recognising and adapting to the

changing nature of tourism is essential if

Scotland is to continue providing quality

experiences. 

Food and drink is one of the themes in

Tourism Scotland 2020 and is also a key

part of the food and drink industry’s new

strategy, Ambition 2030.

This new framework will provide Scotland

with a huge opportunity to shine the

spotlight on our quality, diverse range of

produce and to strengthen the

association of Scotland as a place of

outstanding food and drink experiences.

An industry steering group has been

established and engagement has been

high, with over 650 responses to an online

survey and interviews. Further

consultation and discussion is planned

with the intention to publish the strategy

in summer 2018.

To capitalise on the increasing

importance of local, good quality food

and drink to visitors, the Scottish Tourism

Alliance and Scotland Food & Drink are

working together to develop a National

Framework to Grow Food Tourism. This

important work will help to strengthen

Scotland’s potential to become a global

food tourism destination.

QUALITY OF THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE

This year development has taken place

in two new areas - food tourism and the

collaborative economy – and there is

continued delivery of flagship customer

service programmes, WorldHost

Destinations and Glasgow Welcomes.

Food Tourism

The emergence of the collaborative (or

sharing) economy has shaken up the

travel and tourism industry around the

world, including Scotland. Observing

these changes prompted Scottish

Enterprise, together with the Scottish

Government and Scottish Tourism

Alliance to explore how the Scottish

tourism sector can seize the

opportunities that the collaborative

economy could bring, whilst gaining a

better understanding of any negative

effects and implications for policy.

Published in January 2018, the report

focused on five tourism related sectors:

accommodation, transport, food &

meals, tourism & activities and on-

demand domestic services. Using case

studies from other cities, the report

flagged challenges, opportunities and

policy considerations for Scotland to

consider.

The Collaborative Economy

and Tourism

Provision of collaborative economy

experiences, especially in

accommodation, is not evenly spread

across the country, being highly

concentrated in cities (and in certain

central districts of those cities).

Whereas some platforms, such as

AirBnB, dominate, other sectors of the

collaborative economy, such as food

and meals or tours and activities are

relatively underdeveloped, and it was

noted that hosts, drivers, personal chefs

or tour guides in Scotland who are

offering services in return for payment

on collaborative platforms may not be

captured in official measurements of

tourism activity. This creates problems

for analysing not only the economic

contribution of the sector, but also the

scope to measure impacts and develop

appropriate policies.

Linked to the priorities set out within

the Tourism Skills Investment Plan, the

WorldHost® Regional Destination

Project' and ‘Business Recognition

Award’ were developed and launched

by People 1st in December 2014. The

project is supported by a network of 12

regional steering groups, local

authorities and trade associations.

With industry research repeatedly

highlighting shortfalls in the

consistency and quality of customer

service standards across the country,

the introduction of an internationally

recognised customer service training

programme which could be made

available nationally was welcomed.

WorldHost® Regional Destination

Project

individuals have now benefited from

WorldHost® training which equates to

over £2.3m of industry investment in

customer service training.

Glasgow Welcomes is a legacy

project of the 2014 Commonwealth

Games and is being used as a key tool

for the city in its preparations for

Glasgow 2018 European

Championships. The initiative aims to

ensure that all visitors to Glasgow

receive exceptional customer 

service during their visit.

By 2017 more than 11,200 participants

(2,200 managers) and 1,035 businesses

had participated in over 600

events/courses, including the Service

Excellence Programme. As a key

element of the Glasgow Tourism &

Visitor Plan to 2023, this industry-led,

private/public sector partnership will

continue to deliver a number of the

Plan’s key themes, namely leadership,

skills and service excellence.

Glasgow Welcomes 

New collaborative projects include the

Glasgow Welcomes Champions’

Network & Speaker Events; Learning

Journeys; an innovative extended

Aspiring Leaders’ Programme; a new

Glasgow Welcomes Service Champion

Award; Young Glasgow Welcomes; a

Company Recognition Scheme; and

training for the arrival of Accessible

Tourism 2018 Congress.

24,500 +

across Scotland have made the

commitment to become ‘WorldHost®

Regional Destinations’.

businesses are now actively using

WorldHost. With over 920 of them

achieving WorldHost® Business

Recognition status in the process.

14 destinations 

Over 2,500

Modern Apprenticeships

Tourism is a people industry and investing in those who work in the sector is

essential if we are to maintain the high standards of service that visitors expect.

Scotland’s Tourism Skills Investment Plan, which is overseen by the Tourism Skills

Group, sets out the skills priorities for the sector, focusing on leadership,

professional and digital skills, customer service and the importance of tourism as a

career. 

Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) Scotland

Springboard

Once again, the tourism sector

produced the 2017 Modern Apprentice

of the Year. Congratulations to Rosie

Wilkins from The Torridon.

From April 2017, 2,559 people have

undertaken hospitality and travel

related Modern Apprenticeships within

the sector in Scotland.

New Graduate Apprenticeships in

Business Management are now available

for the sector, where employees gain a

degree whilst working within a tourism

business.

HIT Scotland is a Scottish based charity

which provides bursaries, scholarships

and other support to those looking to

enter and already working in the

hospitality industry to realise their full

potential.

Springboard is a UK charity supporting

the tourism, hospitality and leisure

industry by promoting it as a great

career for young people and helping

unemployed people find suitable

employment within the industry.

FutureChef had a record breaking year

with over 5300 Scottish school children

involved.

Part of the Scottish Tourism Careers

Festival in March 2017 saw a month long

campaign raising awareness of working

in the industry using #jobswithasmile.

Springboard's partnership with Diageo's

Learning for Life programme saw 160

young people trained.

In 2017, HIT Scotland awarded 212

scholarships and ran 24 fundraising

events.

Hospitality Takeover Days took place

in Scottish colleges providing over

800 pupils from 50+ schools the

opportunity to gain first hand

experiential industry experience. 

HERITAGE TOURISM

Heritage Tourism 2020 (HT2020) was

launched in 2015 with a 9 point action

plan under three themes - 2017 Ready,

Consumer Related and Industry

Related overseen by the Heritage Tourism

Group (HTG).

The structure of the HTG was rationalised

with a strategy group comprised

of Historic Environment Scotland (HES),

National Trust for Scotland (NTS), Historic

Houses Scotland (HHS), Scottish Tourism

Alliance (STA) and VisitScotland (VS) at

the table, and a product development

sub-group which spearheaded the

Jacobite Trail Initiative.

The primary focus over 2017 was

delivering a range of projects and

initiatives linked to the Year of History,

Heritage and Archaeology (YHHA). These

projects were delivered via the three main

partners on the Heritage Tourism Group –

HES, NTS and HHS.

One key project was the Jacobite Trail, a

partnership project between HES, NTS,

National Museums of Scotland and the

Palace of Holyroodhouse which

showcased 26 of Scotland’s famous

Jacobite sites in one accessible trail –

and secured VS Growth Fund grant

support. 

The HTG was successful in a Knowledge

Transfer Partnership with Glasgow

Caledonian University. This allowed a

coordinator to be appointed in 2016 to

help facilitate the delivery of the HT2020

Action Plan. The initial focus of this

coordinator was on the ‘2017 Ready’

activities and included a successful

heritage tourism seminar for industry. A

change of personnel later in 2017 resulted

in activity being refocused on the Year of

Young People 2018, and this is ongoing.

Later in 2017 the HTG strategy group

brought in a resource to undertake a mid-

term review of the HT2020 strategy and

action plan, considering the renewed

context within which the strategy is now

being delivered, and to refine HT2020 for

the remaining period.

NATURE &ACTIVITIES

Marine Tourism

Since 2015, when the marine tourism

strategy, Awakening the Giant was

launched, awareness and understanding

of the potential of marine tourism in

Scotland has increased significantly. The

recognition of the sector as one which

can help enrich rural economies, create

employment, celebrate and showcase

Scotland’s coastal assets has contributed

to the announcement of the next

‘Themed Year’ being the ‘Year of Coast

and Water’. 

The strategy is on government agendas,

included in Area Growth Deal

developments such as Ayrshire Coast,

Stirling and Tay Cities and is central to

regeneration projects in locations such

as Ardrossan, Dundee and Stranraer. 

It is also an integral element in the

development of local area tourism

development plans including Forth

Bridges, Dumfries and Galloway, Argyll

and the Isles, Fort William (OCUK), Outer

Hebrides and North Ayrshire’s Making

Waves plan, and further evidenced by the

West Coast Destination Partnership

Project that will see 18 destination groups

seek to identify growth opportunities

from marine tourism.

In addition at a national level:

A Marine Tourism Events Plan has

identified key marine events which

could be held in Scotland;

A Marine Skills Pathway Plan has been

developed in conjunction with Skills

Development Scotland

SailScotland continues to lead

marketing activity by attendance at

international boat shows and online

campaigns.

The Scottish Country Sports Tourism

Group (SCSTG) had a very busy and fruitful

2017. VisitScotland Growth Fund support

enabled SCSTG to deliver a successful

integrated marketing campaign which

included attendance at a major

Scandinavian Game Fair and two in the UK

as well as social media activities targeting

France, Germany and Sweden. By

translating posts from English, a greater

number of people were reached and a

high number of responses received.

A familiarisation trip for European

journalists from some of the top sporting

titles in Europe was held in 2017. The

articles which will be published in 2018

will help keep Scotland as a potential

sporting destination in the minds of

European hunters and game anglers.

As well as maintaining the current interest

in Scottish sport shown by Europeans and

as outlined in the SCSTG’s strategic plan

‘Game for Growth’, the SCSTG will be

working to grow the interest in Scottish

sport from North American tourists with

the aim of increasing the value of the

sector to £185m per annum by 2020.

In spring 2018 five short sporting films

highlighting the unique aspects of Scottish

country sports will be launched. These will

feature on the SCSTG website, social media

posts and the SCSTG YouTube channel.

Country Sports Tourism

Golf Tourism 

The Golf Tourism Development Group (GTDG) comprising 8 regional golf groups

and the key national agencies and organisations, oversee the delivery of the golf

tourism strategy, Driving Forward Together.

Key initiatives during 2017 include:

New research published in April 2017,

commissioned by VisitScotland and

Scottish Enterprise, showed that the

economic value of golf tourism and

events to Scotland has soared to £286

million following a bumper decade in

Scotland. This is an increase of 30%

(£66 million) since 2008, supporting

4,700 jobs and spreading benefits

across the country’s golfing regions.

A mid-term review of the national

golf tourism strategy 2013-20 “Driving

Forward Together” is underway and

due to be completed shortly. The

review will check progress; to

consider changes in the wider market

environment; to make evidence-

based decisions on any changes

required – either to the strategy itself,

associated action plans or the

approach to delivery and monitoring;

and to identify key priorities for

remainder of the strategy period.

Now in its 2nd year, the Scottish Golf Tourism Week funded by VisitScotland and

Scottish Enterprise is emerging as a globally significant “meet the buyer” event. The

event is designed to assist Scottish-based tourism businesses, particularly 2nd tier

golf clubs, who do not currently have the resources to attend trade shows

overseas. Over 80 golf tour operators from 39 countries engaged with 70+ Scottish

golf tourism businesses. A total of 3,500 appointments took place during the week-

long event together with 70 familiarisation trips and the Scottish Golf Tourism

Awards Gala Dinner.

Mountain biking tourism in Scotland

continued to grow across Scotland in 2017.

There was an increase in riders at trail

centres, growth in events and the largest

ever number of spectators at the UCI

Downhill World Cup held in Fort William.

Other key initiatives and developments

include:

Mountain Biking Tourism

World Class Facilities: New trails were

launched in Edinburgh, Inverness, Fort

William, Tweed Valley and Lochore

Meadows, Fife. Comrie Croft in Perthshire

was voted the UK’s no.1 mountain biking trail

centre by mountain bike website iBikeRide.

World Class Events: The UCI Mountain Bike

Downhill World Cup was held for the 16th

continuous year in Fort William and was

awarded best sporting event in 2017 at the

Scottish Thistle Awards. TweedLove bikefest

continued to grow in 2017 and hosted an

international enduro event and the UK’s

largest bike demo event. No Fuss Events

hosted the UK’s only Enduro World Series

Qualifier in Kinlochleven.

Attracting New Visitors & New Customers:

Interactive trail maps and guides were

downloaded in record numbers and there

was improved marketing through

VisitScotland. Scottish mountain biking was

showcased at Eurobike (world’s largest bike

show), VisitScotland Expo, Fort William MTB

DH World Cup, Scottish Cycling and Scottish

Running & Outdoor Pursuits Show.

Creating a Sustainable Tourism Product: the

‘Take Care of Your Trails’ weekend featured

277 volunteers in 17 different trail

crews who were given over £1500 worth of

prizes and support from Scottish businesses.

BUS INESS

EVENTS

Business events are seen as a key strand

of Tourism Scotland 2020. The Business

Tourism for Scotland group who oversee

the activity, have outlined their ambition

for the sector which is to increase spend

by at least £400m by 2020.

The role of business events as a

mechanism to help support economic

growth is a message that has been

gathering increasing momentum in

recent months. A successful Business

Events Leaders Summit held in Glasgow

in March 2018 and organised by

Eventsbase focused on this theme.

Through closer partnership working

between VisitScotland Business Events

and Scottish Enterprise, a more cohesive

approach to identifying and attracting

targeted high value international

business events to Scotland is emerging.

This will help to fully exploit broader

economic opportunities in more niche

areas such as Fintech, Subsea and Low

Carbon as well as provide an

international platform to showcase

Scotland’s expertise in these areas.

In November 2017, VisitScotland Business

Events launched their first digital

marketing campaign, Project Legend.

Using #IdeasBecomeLegends and

working with Scotland’s convention

bureaux, the campaign uses each city’s

strengths by building relationships with

industry, academics and industry

ambassadors to attract further

conferences and events to Scotland. In

the first four months, there have been

29m impressions and 7260 mentions,

more significantly 4 events have been

confirmed as a result, with an estimated

value of £202,000.

At a regional level, work continues on the

new AECC in Aberdeen which will open

in March 2019. In October a new business

events campaign #makeitedinburgh was

launched in Edinburgh, together with a

new Business Events Opportunities

Guide, aimed at tourism business outwith

the business tourism sphere. Business

events is now firmly established within

the Glasgow Tourism & Visitor Strategy. In

Dundee, the city awaits the opening of

the new V&A Dundee in Autumn 2018.

DESTINATIONS TOWNS & CITIES

* Regions are under review or

in development

1. Aberdeen City & Shire

2. Argyll & the Isles

3. Ayrshire

4. Arran

5. Cairngorms National Park

6. Dumfries & Galloway

7. Dundee

8. East Lothian 

9. Edinburgh

10. Falkirk

11. Fife

12. Glasgow

13. Highlands

14. Inverclyde 

15. Lanarkshire

16. Loch Lomond & Trossachs

1

2 9

22

21

25

20

13

12

4 3

5

7

11

24

27

8

18

19

6

28

17

26

102314 15

16

Using the ‘rocket’ as a national

framework has proved a highly

effective approach, allowing for

the alignment of activities, such

as the VisitScotland’s Growth

Fund and the emerging Industry

Barometer, and providing

opportunities for destinations to

work together and share

experiences under one common

approach.

There are now 28 destination

strategies that are directly

aligned to the national tourism

strategy. 

17. Lochaber

18. Midlothian

19. Moray Speyside

20. Orkney

21. Outer Hebrides

22. Perthshire

23. Renfrewshire

24. Scottish Borders*

25. Shetland*

26. Stirling*

27. West Lothian

28. Wester Ross

The Scottish Enterprise Tourism

Destination Development Fund (TDDF)

was developed in response to industry

demand for a more inclusive approach to

destination development support. TDDF

was set up to attract groups of

businesses who could deliver a well-

planned and strategically aligned

destination development project that

enhances the quality of the visitor

experience and increases visitor spend.

In 2017 the second round of applications

was awarded to the following five new

projects, all of which demonstrated an

ambition to internationalise, improve

leadership skills and enhance growth

through innovation:

VisitScotland’s Growth Fund supports

collaborative tourism marketing

projects which focus on growth in the

tourism sector and ensure that visitors

experience the true Spirit of Scotland.

In the 2017/18 financial year there were

13 successful applicant groups and a

total of £369,925 was awarded in grants,

which supported marketing activity

across the country to the value of

£739,650.

The previous changes to the

programme (including streamlining the

process and making sure that the

criteria for applications is focused on

digital content creation and promotion)

has enabled groups to create high

quality content assets, build their

digital presence and promote their

region or sector in the most effective

way.

Midlothian & Borders Tourism

Action Group

Cairngorms Snow Roads Scenic

Route Development

Love Loch Lomond

Cruise Forth

Glasgow Canal

Tourism Destination

Development Fund

VisitScotland Growth

Fund

It’s All About the Place

and the People, Glasgow

102 delegates attended Scotland’s first

conference specifically for destination

organisations and leaders. The event

focused on the range of activities being

delivered within destinations and

encouraged greater networking and

collaboration between groups. Feedback

was positive and a similar event will be

held as part of Scottish Tourism Month

2018.

THE BIG FIVE

QUESTIONSThe Big Five Questions brings

together the most relevant

tourism business advice, tools and

resources in one place. Put simply,

it helps tourism businesses do

business better.

The  campaign was specifically created

to highlight existing support available

around the tourism strategy’s Mid-

Term Review priorities.

It aims to translate the strategic

priorities into a format which is easily

accessible to industry.

There is a wealth of support available

for tourism businesses (and much of it

is free!) so please do help us champion

the Big Five Questions to businesses

you work with where possible.

YOUR CUSTOMERS Do you want to understand more about your customers?

YOUR DIGITAL Do you want to be smarter online?

YOUR COSTS Do you want to find ways to reduce costs and grow your bottom line?

YOUR VOICE Do you want to help grow tourism in your area?

YOUR PEOPLE Do you want to develop your team to grow our business?

www.scottishtourismalliance.co.uk