As Scotland’s national tourism and events organisation, VisitScotland’s purpose is to drive the visitor economy, growing its value to Scotland.
Our work drives international profile, ensuring Scotland stands out in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. It supports businesses to reach new audiences and markets and attracts investment, delivering a ripple effect across the wider supply chain. The impact extends beyond our sector, supporting the wider economy by helping businesses export, driving trade and growing our international connectivity.
This summer, we’ve already seen the role events play in supporting our economy and enhancing Scotland’s international reputation.
Even across the Atlantic, at the FIFA World Cup, the Tartan Army were truly incredible Scottish ambassadors, taking our famous warmth, humour and friendship to the US. We saw a really special cultural moment unfold, and our ambition is to turn the good feeling around the World Cup into something tangible for Scottish tourism.
Our data and insight show us that US visitors love Scotland – it’s why they are our largest international market for visits and spend – and so regardless of the on-pitch action, our goal for the World Cup was simple. We would use our experience and expertise to build excitement with consumers and industry, about Scotland in Boston and the tri-state area, ultimately growing high-value visits from this market. This included encouraging US football fans and locals to follow us home and discover Scotland for themselves.
To engage with industry, we delivered destination training for travel agents and tour operators, hosted a responsible tourism roundtable and partnered with the biggest travel agent in the state. With 70% of US visitors using travel intermediaries in the planning stage of their trip to Scotland and 61% using them to book accommodation (Scotland Visitor Survey 2023), this is a vital and lucrative route to engaging with US travellers. We also added to the tartan takeover in the city, with branded cabs and adverts on streets, buses and the subway. This secured prominent media attention, generating 13 pieces of coverage, including a broadcast interview on local Boston news, reaching outlets with a combined monthly audience of more than 66.5 million unique viewers.
And far closer to home, Scotland’s summer of events and festivals underlines our position as the perfect stage for events. Glasgow is again playing host to the Commonwealth Games, while Scotland’s world-class golf events welcome the sport’s biggest names to our iconic courses. Alongside these sporting highlights, our rich programme of cultural events and festivals showcases creativity, heritage and our warm welcome to both visitors and locals.
Looking ahead, we have lots to look forward to with the Tour de France Grand Départ 2027, World Rally Championships in Aberdeenshire and the return of The Open to St Andrews, harnessing their huge international media presence to reach new audiences. Edinburgh’s Festivals continue to position Scotland at the heart of the global creative stage with the founding festivals celebrating their 80th anniversary in 2027.
VisitScotland’s priority is capitalising on the opportunities presented by these events, to raise Scotland’s profile and inspire more interest in visiting. This includes working with local authorities and event organisers to grow regional events and increase spend in our communities. Support for events businesses is also available on our free-to-access online business support hub.
Whether it’s on screen or in person, the world is watching Scotland this summer. Our job is to turn that attention into opportunity by putting Scotland front of mind for potential visitors, inspiring them to visit and explore the country for themselves.
