On my travels, I will never tire of seeing the surprise and wonderment that comes with tales of our pioneering past and present, our multi-cultural and inclusive society, our world-class academic institutions, the beauty of our land and the warmth of our people. We are so immersed in Scotland it’s sometimes too easy to forget what incredible assets we have. Travelling is always a timely reminder of how others see us.
Our people, product and place combine to make a compelling offer to those seeking to visit, work, live, study or invest in Scotland. The challenge is to make sure that our world-class offer to businesses, visitors and students is known and understood enough by those people we seek to attract in key markets around the world. Scotland doesn’t need to be sold; our story needs to be told.
We operate in a highly competitive global economy where our competitors continue to ramp up their investment in marketing and selling their own wares. In addition, continuing global economic uncertainty and Brexit have conspired to dent the confidence of those that seek to explore foreign lands. I’m not sure there has been a more important time in our recent history to show that our inclusive, pioneering and open values are as strong today as they have ever been and that we welcome all-comers.
Over the past year, the team at VisitScotland have been working with the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International and many others (including Universities Scotland and Creative Scotland) to pool our resources to look at how we stimulate growth through our combined efforts. This project ‘Brand Scotland’ has looked at how we can best deploy technology, leverage data, build influencer networks and most effectively tell Scotland’s story.
On 11 April we launched a new global campaign ‘Scotland is Now’. The campaign is an optimistic take on the world today in the most challenging of times. We tell Scotland’s story using our rich mix of people, place and experience (old and new, Scots and non-Scots, vibrant assets and urban culture, historic and contemporary pioneers, dynamic growth businesses and social enterprises) to attract those who would never previously have thought about coming to Scotland. And to actively consider us as a place to visit, work, live, study and invest.
There is no waiting. #ScotlandIsNow
For more information about our new global campaign and for tools and advice for your business to get involved go to:
www.scotlandisnow.com
