Tag: tourism

Outrage as Edinburgh residents face city centre curfew

Edinburgh residents are set to be barred from the city centre in a controversial experiment this summer. City chiefs want to make the world famous old and new towns a tourist-only zone over the festival period. Continue reading Outrage as Edinburgh residents face city centre curfew

The rise of the SOWAs

DUBBED ‘SOWAs’, SOLO WOMEN ADVENTURERS ARE USING THEIR PASSPORTS MORE THAN EVER, ACCORDING TO RESEARCH BY CULTURE TRIP

  • Solo female travel more popular than ever: Current search trends show a 131%* increased interest in solo female travel over the past two years. Although only one in seven (14%) women have travelled on their own in the past five years, as many as one in three (34%) are now interested in taking the plunge and travelling solo in the future, according to new research by Culture Trip
  • Dubbed “SoWAs”, Solo Women Adventurers are risktakers: Women are becoming moreadventurous with 72% saying that it’s worth taking a few risks whilst travelling – 26% of women that have travelled alone say that security isn’t their top priority
  • Top 11 Destinations for Solo Travellers in 2019: Seoul, Los Angeles and Accra  among Culture Trip’s list of top solo travel destinations for 2019

Continue reading The rise of the SOWAs

#MyMicrogap campaign urges young Brits to take more short breaks in the UK

VisitEngland has launched a campaign to inspire more young Brits to discover the UK by taking mini gap-year style breaks. 

The £2.5 million ‘Join the World – #MyMicrogap’ campaign targets young people with experiences and activities typically taken during a gap-year that can be condensed into a micro-holiday of one to three nights in the UK. The campaign kicks off today with the first in a series of short films  that are being rolled out across digital display and social media channels during the coming months.  Continue reading #MyMicrogap campaign urges young Brits to take more short breaks in the UK

2017 was record year for overseas visitors

“Tourism is the heartbeat of the Scottish economy”

Visits and spending by overseas tourists in Scotland rose to its highest level on record in 2017. The ONS Travel Trends 2017 statistics showed the number of overseas tourists visiting Scotland rose by 16.9% to 3.2 million, while expenditure increased by 23% to £2.3 billion.

The record figures were driven by European visitors who made 1.9 million visits to Scotland, a 17% increase from 2016, with spending rising by 36% to £1.1 billion. Across the UK as a whole the number of European visitors increased by 1% and spending fell by 1%.

A range of factors made Scotland an attractive place to visit in 2017 including events associated with the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, the Outlander effect and VisitScotland digital activity.

Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “These figures show 2017 was a record year for overseas tourists visiting and spending money in Scotland, which is great news for the industry and our economy.

“Tourism is one of our most important industries, employing 207,000 people, creating jobs, supporting the local economy and building on our strong international reputation.

“As we get closer to the UK’s departure from the EU, we will continue to do all we can to ensure people from across the EU and elsewhere are welcome to work in our tourism sector and visit our beautiful, vibrant country.”

Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland Chief Executive, said: “Today’s figures herald a remarkable period for Scottish tourism, with overseas visits in 2017 reaching a record high.

“These outstanding results show that Scotland can compete on a global stage. Using our unrivalled beauty, rich history, pioneering partnerships and innovative thinking we are communicating with visitors from every corner of the world.

“Groundbreaking apps, creative digital campaigns and inspirational content means we can reach visitors and potential visitors at every step of their journey, informing the visitors of today and inspiring the visitors of tomorrow.

“Tourism is the heartbeat of the Scottish economy, causing a ripple effect which touches every industry and community, creating employment and economic growth. Buoyed by the success of today’s figures we look forward to continue working with our partnerships across every aspect of the tourism industry to make sure Scotland is at the top of everyone’s list to live and work, invest, study and visit.”

The figures are available to view and are the highest for overseas tourists since the survey began in 1961/62.

 

 

Selling Scotland: Scotland is Now

Forget Scotland the Brave … this is Scotland the brand!

A new £6 million campaign will put Scotland in the international spotlight and showcase the country’s world-leading assets to a global audience. Launching simultaneously today in North America, London and China, ‘Scotland is Now’ is designed to put the country firmly at the top of everyone’s list of places to live, work, study, invest and visit. Continue reading Selling Scotland: Scotland is Now

Edinburgh second to Glasgow as UK tourism hotspot

Using booking data from its collection of over 250 independent properties across Great Britain, combined with YouGov and Google search data, Best Western has created a list of the top 10 UK tourism hotspots for this year – and GLASGOW comes out on top.  Continue reading Edinburgh second to Glasgow as UK tourism hotspot