VisitScotland’s marketing activity is a key part of our support for the visitor economy, thanks to our strong track record in developing Scotland’s brand and success in attracting visitors from near and far. It’s a vital element of what we do to drive economic growth and support businesses, as we seek to tell Scotland’s story in partnership with industry.
Our activity has a tangible impact; VisitScotland’s marketing currently delivers an £18 return on every pound spent. Delivering this visitor spend is crucial to the continued success of tourism businesses, in the face of increased global competition and changing consumer behaviour.
To attract more high-value visitors throughout the year, encourage them to stay longer and spend more, we will be running new marketing activity with key partners and channels as part of our autumn/winter consumer campaign. Driven by data and insight, we’re supporting tourism businesses through our work with platforms such as Tripadvisor, Expedia and Skyscanner. We’re also partnering with media outlets including Channel 4, NBC, Metro and News UK – showing their audiences how Scotland feeds the mind, body and soul.
Seasonality is integral to the long-term success of our visitor economy. If we want our people and places to thrive all year round, our industry must thrive all year round too. And we must achieve this at a time when cost-of-living and cost-of-business pressures are reshaping how people travel. As we seek to inspire year-round visits, we must consider the unique seasonal experiences we can offer to inspire those planning autumn and winter trips.
Tourism and events businesses can directly benefit by engaging with our campaigns. Practical steps include:
Keeping your listings on platforms like Tripadvisor and Expedia, as well as your Google business listing updated with accurate visitor information.
Reviewing your digital presence to ensure your website and social channels reflect current offers and tell your story.
Creating seasonal packages and experiences that appeal to visitors in autumn and winter.
Using and sharing VisitScotland’s content to amplify reach.
Drawing on our data and insights to tailor your offering to evolving visitor demand.
Collaborating with other local businesses and events to showcase the variety of experiences on offer.
Beyond seasonal campaigns, our always-on marketing continues to provide year-round visibility. This includes SEO-driven content, social media activity, global PR, and work with travel intermediaries such as tour operators and travel agents.
With “wellbeing” being a key driver for global travel, Scotland stands to benefit by showcasing our wealth of meaningful and sustainable experiences. The whole of the tourism industry can capitalise on strong visitor interest by emphasising our hospitality, landscapes, history and experiences in a way which demonstrates that in Scotland, wellbeing comes naturally.
Authenticity is also important, to ensure we resonate effectively with our audiences. We’ll continue to build and curate a network of storytellers who will help bring Scotland to life in their own authentic and inspiring way.
Storytelling has always helped businesses, events and organisations build meaningful connections with their audiences. What’s new in our activity is not the storytelling itself, but how we bring storytellers together. We want to unite voices across the Scottish tourism and events industry to share a consistent, compelling message. Our vision is to create a network of storytellers – locals, businesses, partners, communities, industry, and visitors themselves – who share genuine, personal experiences of Scotland.
To support this, we’ve developed a common message framework and are inviting everyone to tell their story through this lens. Together we can create greater impact and inspire audiences in ways that turn interest into bookings.
But this collaborative approach won’t just benefit tourism. All of Scotland’s sectors stand to gain if we raise Scotland’s profile as a place to visit, work, live, study and invest.
Our goal is clear: to encourage people to visit Scotland, stay longer, and spend more in our communities and with our businesses.
By working with partners from across the public, private and third sectors, we want to grow Scotland’s share of global travel in a sustainable and authentic way, ultimately growing the value of the visitor economy. Creating a thriving visitor economy doesn’t happen by chance. It happens through action, investment and collaboration. I hope you can join us in telling Scotland’s story.
