Malcolm Roughead OBE
Chief Executive, VisitScotland
If I had a pound for every time I’d been told VisitScotland only promotes the Highlands and Edinburgh I would be a very rich man!
I can confirm that this just isn’t true, although we do indeed promote both. Taking the tourism message outwith the honeypot areas is not only important for the sustainability of the whole visitor economy – it’s at the top of our priority list.
For me, as well as ensuring awareness of the whole of Scotland, there is a real opportunity to grow regional spread by focusing on the people that have been to Scotland before and want to do something different.
Many such visitors are to be found in the domestic market, those visitors who come to Scotland every year who are looking to share unique experiences rather than walking the well-trodden path of the regular visitor. This is one of the reasons why the North Coast 500 has been such a phenomenon – the talk-ability factor of having done something new or being somewhere new is irresistible to the experience-seeking visitor.
The key to getting this right is working with destination organisations to knock down traditional boundaries – often drawn on maps the visitor doesn’t recognise.
A project like Scotland’s Tay Country is a great example of this – a collaboration with VisitScotland, local authorities and destination groups which is capitalising on the opportunity presented by the opening of the V&A Dundee by encouraging visitors to explore more of Tayside on the back of a visit to this world class attraction.
This includes a video in English, French and German and is a Growth Fund collaboration between Fife, Perthshire, Dundee and Angus.
A similar approach has seen Glasgow and Argyll working together for mutual benefit and other examples of joint working between the Borders and Midlothian and Ayrshire and Arran Take a Different Path – as well as Shetland and Orkney working with Northlink and influencers Challenge Sophie and The Travel Hack.
A lot of these projects are supported by VisitScotland as well through initiatives like our Growth Fund.
One of the most exciting projects, as well as, presenting opportunities for regional spread is the work underway in the south of Scotland. There are some exciting times ahead with the opening of Moat Brae in Dumfries next year, alongside the new South West Coastal 300 driving route and established initiatives like Dark Skies and the opportunities from Borders Rail.
With the establishment of the South of Scotland Economic Partnership and the future agency for the area, there is increased interest in the region and by working together we can put the spotlight on the highlights and hidden gems in a more collaborative way.
As you can see, VisitScotland is promoting regional spread on a daily basis – watch out, you might find somewhere you haven’t heard of before and that would make interesting chat over the dinner table.
