Welcome to the latest VisitScotland eUpdate, giving you an overview of VisitScotland's current activities.

This month:

• regional updates

Aberdeen & Grampian
Angus & Dundee
Argyll, Loch Lomond & Forth Valley
Ayrshire & Arran
Borders
Dumfries & Galloway
Edinburgh & Lothians
Fife
Glasgow & Clyde Valley
Highlands
Outer Hebrides
Perth
Shetland & Orkney

• industry events
• research
• marketing
• general news

ABERDEEN & GRAMPIAN

Philip Riddle “talks tourism” with Aberdeen and Grampian
VisitScotland’s chief executive visited the Aberdeen and Grampian area earlier this month as part of his nationwide “Talking Tourism” tour.

Taking in Aberdeen City, Ballater, Braemar, Crathie, Huntly, Dufftown and Elgin over three days, Philip Riddle and Area Director Ian Dunlop met with TIC staff, accommodation providers, visitor attractions, public sector representatives and tourism and hospitality students amongst others, discussing with them directly the issues and concerns for tourism in the North East.

The tour, which included formal presentations on VisitScotland’s national and local marketing campaigns and informal Q&A sessions, also gave him the opportunity to see first-hand the excellent work being done locally in pursuing quality and excellence.

Both Crathie Opportunity Holidays and The Glenfiddich Distillery have recently achieved such success and Philip was on-hand to present Crathie with its Gold Award in the Green Tourism Business Scheme and Glenfiddich with its 5 Star Visitor Attraction plaque.

North East Tourism In Good Shape
2005 was another successful year for North East tourism, according to the Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM) interim figures.

Covering the period January to September 2005, the figures show a 5% increase on the previous year in Aberdeen and Grampian’s total tourism revenue, with an overall 3% rise in tourist numbers and an increase of 2% in the number of tourist days spent in the region.

The interim report has also suggested a significant increase in the number of tourists and tourism revenue during off-peak months, with figures remaining high for the traditional tourist season months of July and August.

Serviced accommodation appears to have had a particularly successful year, with a 7% increase in tourist numbers, and an 8% rise in the number of tourist days, generating an impressive 9% increase in tourist revenue.

Similarly, the majority of sectors have experienced an increase in both expenditure and direct employment, most noticeably in the food and drink and recreational sectors.

Meanwhile, data compiled by KPMG and online market research company The Bench has shown that UK hotels have outperformed their European counterparts in terms of growth, with Aberdeen City performing the strongest with a growth rate of 16%.

This is backed up by the internationally recognised monthly UK hotel occupancy figures which show Aberdeen’s hotels enjoying 7% growth for the month of December against an overall figure of 4% for 2005.

Scotland’s Castle Trail
VisitScotland Aberdeen and Grampian’s Castle Trail leaflet has now been updated for 2006.

120,000 copies have been produced and these continue to reinforce the message that Scotland’s Castle Country is home to more castles than anywhere else in Europe. The brochure will be sent in response to telephone and email enquiries and racked throughout Scotland in Tourist Information Centres, visitor attractions, railway and bus stations and other strategic locations.

For a copy of the brochure please contact 01224 288828.

Action for the North East Area
NESTOUR, the regional tourism partnership, held a series of industry workshops late in February to discuss the future of tourism in the North East of Scotland. A good turnout of tourism businesses met at a variety of locations throughout the North East to discuss a strategy and action plan.

David MacIntyre from The Market Specialists led the two-hour workshops and gave an insight into the vision for Scottish tourism. Businesses were encouraged to input into the draft strategy reflecting local issues that may impact on the future of tourism in their local area.

Challenge Funding
With recent successful applications in the Aberdeen and Grampian area, tourism businesses are being urged to take advantage of the marketing opportunities available to them through VisitScotland’s Challenge Fund.

The fund was established to assist collaborative group marketing projects that attract new or repeat visitors to Scotland. Groups of three or more tourism businesses can apply for 40% of total project costs for amounts between £2,500 and £50,000.

Funds from £2,500 to £50,000 can be awarded to groups of three or more tourism businesses to undertake marketing activity

If you are interested in finding out more about the Challenge Fund or would like to discuss a potential project please contact Maureen Gorshkov tel: 01224 288809 or by email, or contact Laura Wilson tel: 01224 288811 or by email

Enterprising Tourism - Monday 27 March 2006, launch and reception
Garthdee Campus, The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, 5.30 – 8.00 pm

This free event celebrates the launch of the Enterprising Tourism website, an on-line networking environment designed specifically for the tourism and hospitality industry. This website will be a dynamic, interactive site which provides opportunities to share, learn, inspire and challenge current issues facing tourism and hospitality businesses in today’s tourism industry.

The Launch provides an opportunity to learn all about the website and the wider “Enterprising Tourism” project. The evening reception event also provides the opportunity to network with others in the industry.

For more details contact Barbara Jones/Deirdre Mactaggart, Schoolhill Campus, The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen AB10 1FR, email: b.a.jones@rgu.ac.uk

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ANGUS & DUNDEE

Angus and Dundee Making The Most Of Tourism Product
VisitScotland has officially launched the Angus & Dundee Where to Stay Guide in a bid to promote the area as a must visit, must return destination.

The brochure, with a print run of 80,000, will be launched as part of the new integrated tourism set-up and will include VisitScotland branding and the visitscotland.com booking number. The guide is already in Tourist Information Centres (TICs) throughout Scotland and the North of England and is available overseas at many consumer and trade holiday shows by request.

Visitscotland.com Staff Come To Town
VisitScotland Angus & Dundee has held its first familiarisation trip for visitscotland.com staff to promote the city and the surrounding area and give an insight into what the region has to offer.

Staff were treated to a host of attractions and things to see and do including the Discovery, Sensation, Dundee Contemporary Arts, Verdant Works, Arbroath Abbey, Montrose Basin Wildlife Centre and Lunan Bay.

A thoroughly enjoyable time was had by all and already bookings have been made due to the in-depth tour of the area.

Seasonal TICs Set To Open
Dundee & Angus seasonal TICs Carnoustie, Forfar, Kirriemuir and Montrose will open from Saturday 8 April. For opening times for each of the TICs please contact the Dundee TIC on 01382 527 527.

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ARGYLL, LOCH LOMOND & FORTH VALLEY

Spring Marketing Campaign
The VisitScotland network office has begun its spring marketing activities to attract holiday and short break visitors to the area over the early season period. The campaign includes:

• Distribution of 16,000 copies of a spring mailer promoting highlights of the area, aimed at generating requests for the 2006 Area and Accommodation Guide. They were recently distributed along with the national spring mailer to individuals who have a proven interest in taking holidays and short breaks in Scotland.
  
• A consumer advertising campaign in popular newspapers and magazines, again stimulating brochure requests. The campaign will run until mid-June and includes half-page advertisements in The Herald weekend magazines.
  
• A series of special spring accommodation offers for April and May, which will soon be launched on the local consumer web site www.visitscottishheartlands.com.

Businesses wishing further information on this opportunity, which is free of charge to local accommodation providers, should mail.

Challenge Fund Update
The VisitScotland Challenge Fund was launched at the end of 2004 and has proved to be a great success. It is designed to support the activities of groups of three or more tourism businesses with marketing projects which will attract more visitors to Scotland, encouraging them to stay longer and spend more money.

Awards made to successful applications in the first three rounds of the Challenge Fund amounted to over £89,000 within the Argyll, Loch Lomond and Forth Valley area, with total project costs of over £200,000. The cash injection from VisitScotland allowed 11 wide-ranging marketing campaigns to be carried out, from television advertising promoting Oban and Lorn as a short break destination to the development of a website to promote Bridge of Allan as a superb place to visit for the day.

Applications have recently closed for Round 4 of the Fund, with six very worthwhile promotional campaigns applying for funding of £120,000. All parts of the area are represented, with an application received from the whisky industry to develop a West Coast Whisky Trail right through to a project to develop a major Jazz & Blues Festival in Callander.

For further information about the Challenge Fund, contact Neil Macfarlane on 01786 445222 or click [here]

Great Days Out Launch
The VisitScotland network office is about to launch the 2006 edition of its hugely popular 'Great Days Out' publication. Featuring visitor attractions, guided tours and events of all kinds throughout the Argyll, Loch Lomond and Forth Valley area, the publication has proved very successful in highlighting to visitors just how much there is to see and do in the area, encouraging them to stay longer and spend more.

150,000 copies of the guide are being printed, of which 100,000 copies are distributed through TICs in and around the central belt. The remaining 50,000 copies are being distributed by door drops to selected regions in the Glasgow area to stimulate day visits and short breaks.

Make the Most of Your Local TIC
As we gear up for Easter and the main tourist season, some timely reminders are detailed below on how to make the most of your local tourist information centre.

With support from our 5 local authority funding partners (Argyll & Bute, Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire Councils) we will be operating 14 year round and 13 seasonal tourist information and visitor centres which are likely to deal with over 2.8 million visitor enquiries. Our Tyndrum TIC is opening on a year round basis for the first time and has been made possible by a partnership with well established retailer, House of Scotland. Plans are also being progressed to relocate Bo’ness Tourist Information Centre to the Bo’ness & Kinneill Railway Visitor Centre.

Helpful Hints

- Place well-presented pictures and up-to-date information on your business in your local counter-top Accommodation/Eating Out/Retail album

- Phone in your accommodation availability status on a regular basis during the main season period (as advised by your local TIC) or update online if appropriate

- Keep your local TIC supplied with appropriately sized promotional leaflets on your business

- At selected TICs you can advertise your business on new display panels. Options range from sizes A4 to A1.

- Collect leaflets and pamphlets on places to visit and things to see and do in your area from the TIC as a source of information on the area

Please note a new Scotland-wide guaranteed TIC leaflet display service is being introduced which is particularly relevant to visitor attractions and retail operators who wish to access clusters of tourist information centres within specific parts of the country. Further details are available from your local Business Relationship Manager.

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AYRSHIRE & ARRAN

VisitScotland CEO Talks Tourism In Ayrshire & Arran
Tourism was on the agenda as VisitScotland’s Chief Executive Philip Riddle met with tourism businesses across Ayrshire and Arran recently as part of his ‘Talking Tourism’ tour – a series of meetings and events that allow tourism businesses the chance to discuss issues face-to-face.

Philip met with businesses across both Ayrshire and Arran and held an informal discussion session encouraging local industry to discuss issues from the smoking ban to city/rural marketing campaigns.

Successful Tourism Conference Held
The Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Conference organised by VisitScotland and Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire in conjunction with the Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Partnership was held on 23 February. One hundred and fifty people turned out to the conference which also included exhibitions from local tourism associations and projects.

Held at Ayr Racecourse, Catriona Mackie, Area Director, opened the conference and this was followed by Philip Riddle with his presentation on VisitScotland marketing activity. There were also speakers from Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Partnership, Tourism Ireland, vitiscotland.com and the former Head of Customer Services at Marks & Spencers who gave an enthusiastic presentation which included throwing a number of knickers into the audience!

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BORDERS

Health Awards Scored
Scottish Borders Council, the Borders Sports and Leisure Trust and VisitScotland Borders have all achieved Scotland ’s Health at Work (SHAW) Bronze Awards. SHAW is a National Award Programme rewarding employers who demonstrate commitment to improving the health, and ultimately the performance, of their workforce. The organisations looked at how health promoting their policies were and how Health & Safety initiatives could contribute.

For more information on SHAW visit http://www.shaw.uk.com or email Karen Leithead

2006 Information Exchange Day
This popular event took place on Tuesday 7 th March at Springwood Hall, Border Union Showground in Kelso and was attended by nearly 125 businesses who wanted to collect literature and to see and hear first hand about the wide range of things to see and do throughout the Scottish Borders.

55 local attractions and event organisers had stands to supply information about what they have to offer the visitor. Businesses with tables included Floors Castle, Kelso Pottery, Chillingham Castle, Eastcote Archery and the Hawick Reiver Festival.

For further information email Helene Sinclair

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DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY

Spring Fling - Stunning Arts and Crafts in Scotland’s Scenic South West, 27 – 29 May 2006
Attention arts and crafts enthusiasts… Spring Fling, the hugely popular open studio event now in its fourth year, is taking place again in Dumfries & Galloway this May bank holiday. It’s the most successful event of its kind in Scotland, where 93 artists and craftmakers across Dumfries & Galloway will be throwing open the doors of their workshops and studios to welcome the public. Over the weekend of 27 – 29 May visitors will receive a warm welcome in all the 64 studios taking part, where they can watch artists and craftmakers at work, ask questions and buy a special piece of work directly from the studio (prices start at £5).

For more information about Spring Fling, log onto the website or call Gracefield Arts Centre on 01387 262084 to order a copy of the brochure.

Dates for the Diary

• 7th and 10th April 2006: visitscotland.com workshops with presentation on visitscotland.com, what’s new, lessons learned form 2005-06, search results and availability followed by general questions.
• SC sector meeting, 29th March 2006, all businesses will be notified shortly
• Please look out for the B&B sector meeting

For further information on any of the above please contact Anne Massey

Dumfries & Galloway Area Tourism Partnership Ready for Change
The national Tourism Framework for Change which was launched on 7 th March 2006 identified actions that will help achieve 50 per cent growth in tourism revenue by 2015.

The Dumfries and Galloway Area Tourism Partnership has taken up the challenge and numerous exciting projects and initiatives have been identified which will contribute to this growth.

In order to develop an ambitious, meaningful Tourism Action Plan the views of people directly and indirectly involved in making the area more attractive to visitors are being sought. The consultation process will be on-going until the end of April 2006. Anyone wishing to contribute to the consultation process should contact: Dumfries & Galloway Area Tourism Partnership, c/o VisitScotland, 64, Whitesands, Dumfries

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EDINBURGH & LOTHIANS

VisitScotland Expo 2006
VisitScotland Expo 2006 is being held at the SECC in Glasgow on the 26 and 27 April, after two successful years in Aberdeen.

Organised by VisitScotland, Expo is Scotland’s only flagship business to business event for the travel trade that is entirely Scottish and the event provides the perfect opportunity for all Scotland based exhibitors to showcase their products and services to potential buyers from around the globe.

VisitScotland Expo is open to buyers from all sectors of the industry and businesses are encouraged to support this year’s event. Stand space is still available and can be booked at www.visitscotlandexpo.com where more information can also be found. Alternatively contact the VisitScotland Events Team on 0131 472 2378 or email

Scottish Thistle Awards 2006
The 2006 Scottish Thistle Awards will be launched on 3rd April. Contact the Awards' administrators for further information on how to enter : Event Consultants Scotland, 1a Abercromby Place, Edinburgh EH3 6JX, tel: 0131 557 5789 or email

Scottish Tourism Week 27th – 31st March
Scottish Tourism Week has been developed by the Scottish Tourism Forum to bring together the private sector, public sector and elected sector to develop a higher awareness of the importance of the tourism industry to Scotland.

The inaugural Scottish Tourism Week features a variety of meetings and events aimed at tourism businesses, including: national gathering of local tourism groups, E-commerce workshop, Tourism Innovation Day, Trade marketing workshop on the UK, Pride & Passion debate, and the MSPs Challenge on Friday 31st.

On Wednesday 29 March there is an STF Open Meeting on Scotland’s place in the international marketplace, followed by an evening industry reception at Scottish Parliament, well attended by MSPs. For more information contact the STF office on 0131 220 6321, or go to the website. Information is also available on Scotexchange here.

Tourism Innovation Day 2006
Tourism Innovation Day is on Tuesday 28 March at Perth Concert Hall and is this year’s “must attend” event. It’s run by the industry-led Tourism Innovation Group for the first time.

Keynote speakers include David Sharpe, MD of British Airways London Eye and Terry Jones, Founder of Travelocity – a Scottish exclusive! Scottish, USA and Australian Best Practice sessions are interactive and compliment the most innovative ideas creation workshops you’ll ever take part in, facilitated by IDEO the ideas laboratory.

Places are limited and going fast, so book now. Free transport from the HIE area is available.

For more information and to book online or contact the Event hotline on : 0141 333 1392.

Castle Douglas Food Town Conference, 26 May 2006
All tourism businesses are invited to attend a one day conference, organised by the Castle Douglas Food Town group and endorsed by VisitScotland. The conference will emphasise the major influence food, especially local produce, can have on the visitor experience. A range of expert speakers are participating and all tourism businesses are invited to attend.

The event will take place at the Lochside Theatre, Castle Douglas on Friday 26 May and is preceded by a cooking demonstration and talk given by Lady Claire Macdonald on the evening of 25 May.

For more information, visit the website or contact Ewan Fairweather at VisitScotland

Tourism Workshops
Find out more information about tourism workshops linked to QA Welcome schemes, such as Anglers Welcome, Children Welcome, Wildlife Tourism, Watersports Welcome and Ancestral Tourism by clicking on this [link]. For details of forthcoming dates and venues click on this [link].  Alternatively, contact Tourist Board Training, Tel: 01294 313006 or email 

Pride & Passion – Mystery Tours
Pride & Passion is inviting tourism businesses in ten areas across Scotland to become visitors for the day and, in the process, learn more about their local area and share their knowledge with others. The free to attend mystery tours focus on the Hidden Treasures, Highlights and Delights of each area. Staring on 20 March in the Dunbartonshire and in the Moray area, there are Tours carrying on through until 30 March. Areas include Ayrshire, Fife, Western Isles, Orkney, Inverness, Borders and Midlothian, Mearns, and Aviemore.

Jennifer Neil, Communications Director, Pride & Passion said: “Reawakening people’s own passions for and knowledge of their area rubs off on visitors. It can help make a holiday experience truly memorable and encourage visitors to stay longer and see more of an area.”

All tours start at 09.30am and will finish at around 5pm.

To reserve a place call: 0800 028 0588 or email

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Tourism Attitudes Survey 2005
One of the most extensive surveys into visitors' perceptions and attitudes to Scotland, the Tourism Attitudes Survey, has recently been undertaken. The survey explored attitudes of Swedish, German, French, and Italian visitors and visitors from the UK, including Scottish holidaymakers. The results show that our visitors thoroughly enjoy their holiday experience in Scotland – and 96% would recommend a Scottish holiday to friends and family!
Find out more about this research on scotexchange.net

Scotland Walks Ahead of the Rest!
The secret’s out: a new study has revealed Scotland is one of the best places in the World for walking.

Visitors who go walking as part of their holiday in Scotland spend almost £1billion here each year and seventy-four percent of the people surveyed for the research said they were likely to visit castles, cities, towns, distilleries and participate in other outdoor activities like mountain biking and cycling whilst here.

Providing an insight into the characteristics of visitors who come to Scotland for walking, the research will help give direction to the four partner agencies (VisitScotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Enterprise and Forestry Commission Scotland) to further develop this activity and ultimately boost tourism.

To tap into this growing market and remind visitors that Scotland has some of the best walks in the world, Tourism minister Patricia Ferguson recently unveiled VisitScotland’s new 84-page walking guide

The guide gives details of over 50 graded walks across Scotland, information about VisitScotland’s successful Walkers Welcome accommodation scheme which currently has around 1200 members, dates and details for Scottish walking festivals and events and information relating to Scotland’s new outdoor access arrangements.

For more detailed information on the walking research, go to www.scotexchange.net and for a copy of the new VisitScotland Walking Guide or any other walking information go to www.visitscotland.com/walking.

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VisitScotland Launch Marketing Opportunities 2006/07
For the first time, tourism businesses across Scotland will be able to pick global marketing opportunities from a range of local, national and international marketing campaigns through one point of contact at the new VisitScotland

From the 14th March until the end of April, businesses will receive a tailored pack of VisitScotland's Marketing Opportunities. This will include a packaged offer for each sector and suggestions of local, national, and additional opportunities suitable for your business. The promotional packages include the most valued promotions based on recent industry research and the success of the business opportunity package introduced last April.

Businesses will soon benefit from VisitScotland’s new online function where you can express interest in the most relevant opportunities for your business.

For more information and advice on VisitScotland’s products and services please contact your local relationship manger based at each local VisitScotland office. Contact details [here]

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Information and Sales – A Strategy for the Future
The project to review all aspects of information and sales is approaching the end of phase two. An extensive research programme was carried out among the industry and consumers together with benchmarking with other sectors and other comparator destinations. All these research findings are available on www.scotexchange.net\Know Your Market. An analysis of the research into current partnerships and retail opportunities is being finalised.

The next stage is to develop a series of pilot projects and feasibility studies which will operate during next season. While there will not be any major changes over the summer, the Information and Sales team will encourage new ways of working across the enlarged network. Over the coming months the introduction of new technology in some of the Tourist Information Centres (TIC) will enable visitors to receive information and sales opportunities through different channels.

Five programmes are being developed which will shape the information and sales network for the future.

Outreach – taking services beyond the TIC including mobile units
Content – continuing to produce rich content for websites and print
Partnerships – finding the right partners to make the most of opportunities
Ease of Purchase – developing online or self-service facilities
Consumer Relationships – managing relationships for the long-term through effective communication.

If you would like any further information on the project please contact Janice Mack on 0131 472 2309

DISABILITY RIGHTS: “What do guest accommodation owners need to know?"
The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) has published a re-branded and updated brochure called “What do guest accommodation owners need to know?”  The guide is for those who run guest accommodation.  It is designed to help owners of small hotels, bed and breakfast or self catering accommodation better understand how they can meet the requirements of disabled guests.  It is not aimed at those who own or operate large hotels or large self catering sites, although the principles for these are similar.  At the same time, it also explains how the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 and 2005 affects the way guest accommodation services are delivered.

This guide has been produced by the DRC in partnership with representatives from the industry.  The DRC works to help disabled people gain their rights under the DDA and to help employers and service providers meet the requirements of disabled people.

For anyone who would like a copy of the guide please phone the DRC Helpline – 08457 622 633, Text phone – 08457 622 644 or visit the Website – www.drc-gb.org

Back the Bid
Back Scotland's bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow by registering your support at www.glasgow2014.com

Avian Flu
With media attention on the possibility of an Avian Flu pandemic information has been provided for industry. It is available here. It will be kept updated as required.

visitscotland.org
From the beginning of April, scotexchange.net will be replaced by VisitScotland's new corporate site. The url will be www.visitscotland.org. The content will be moved over and new sections also created. There will be redirects for anyone bookmarking the scotexchange site. Area trade sites are also being phased out and content from these will be made available on visitscotland.org

New e-update
The next version of the e-update will take a different form. It will be more tailored to focus on providing stories with relevance to the regional areas. It will be sent out mid April.

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