Tag: VisitScotland

Companies benefit from the Scottish Government’s business support package

The Scottish Government created a support package for businesses in Scotland affected by Covid 19 and enterprise agencies worked at pace with VisitScotland and Creative Scotland to design and deliver two short-term funds: 

The Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund for vulnerable Scottish SMEs deemed vital to local, regional and national economies and the Creative, Tourism & Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund for tourism, hospitality and creative industry businesses that experienced hardship due to Covid 19.  

A total of 3,656 awards have been made to companies across Scotland equalling around £145.3M. Visit the Scottish Government website for more information. 

Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise Steve Dunlop (above) said: “It is not an easy time for many businesses and Scottish Enterprise is working hard to provide funding, advice and resources to ensure businesses not only survive, but thrive now and in future.  

“The support from the Hardship and Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Funds has allowed companies across a range of industries to continue to trade. We will continue to work alongside Scottish Government and partners to focus on a fair, sustainable and jobs-focused recovery and play a critical role in rebuilding Scotland’s economy.” 

Precision engineering company Almond Engineering is based in Livingston and received £100,000 from the Pivotal Enterprise Fund and has remained in production throughout the pandemic by undertaking safety precautions. 

The business has also manufactured face shields to donate to the NHS as well as creating test equipment for ventilator manufacturers.

Managing director of Almond Engineering Michelle Quinn said: “The support from Scottish Enterprise has been so important for us. We have always really valued the help and support and in times like this it is doubly valuable.    

“The coronavirus has really impacted our orders at Almond and at times such as these when you don’t know how long the crisis will last nor how deep the recession will be, the government and Scottish Enterprise support allows time for the economy to start recovering and ensure that businesses such as ours are here once the world reopens.” 

Edinburgh based interior and graphic design firm 442 Design specialises in venue design, creating memorable customer experiences that challenge the conventions of traditional Food, Drink and Retail spaces. Their clients include Arsenal Football Club, Amazon, SSE Hydro, BBC Scotland, Adidas and Aramark. 

442 Design received £50,000 from the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund, which was welcomed by Managing director David Dunn who said: “Our business relies heavily on crowds and entertainment whether through eating and drinking out, football matches or live gigs.

“The banning of crowd activity had a massively detrimental impact on our client businesses. Our business practically stopped with lockdown with all projects put on hold. 

“PERF has kept the company afloat during a time of forced abandonment of all projects, saved jobs and allowed 442 to reposition for the future. We’re now developing a different Covid-aware approach to designing spaces that can deliver both commercial return for client and ensure a great experience for our customers.” 

Arrayjet is a biotech company based in Roslin, Midlothian, supplying inkjet bio-printing instruments and also manufactures Covid 19 testing and research products.  

Iain McWilliam Chief Executive Officer of Arrayjet said: “The PERF grant helped support our cashflow during a critical period when revenue collection and generation was extremely difficult.

“Many of our customers had to cease operations temporarily, and the restrictions on travel prevented us from installing new instruments, look after our installation base, or to visit prospective clients.

“A large proportion of the Arrayjet team were already on the furlough scheme, but the PERF grant allowed us to continue some limited economic activity, to support our key local supply chain, to bring some staff back sooner and accelerate our recovery.  

“The PERF grant helped to stabilise our cashflow and gave our board the confidence to bring members of the Arrayjet team off furlough earlier than planned. As a result, we have been able to develop and market products and services related to Covid 19 research and diagnosis.” 

Parliament visitor experience wins vote of confidence from VisitScotland

The visitor experience at the Scottish Parliament has been awarded one of the highest quality assurance accolades from the national tourism organisation VisitScotland.The five-star tourism award was achieved by the Parliament in recognition of exceptional customer service and the high-quality facilities on offer.

The building, located in the heart of Edinburgh’s World Heritage site, runs popular and highly praised behind the scenes tours of the complex. Free tours reveal the fascinating history of the building, its stunning and iconic architecture and explain how the Parliament works. Visitors can also watch the Parliament in action during sitting days.

Throughout the year The Scottish Parliament offers much for visitors to see and do including travelling exhibitions such as World Press Photo as well as unprecedented access to the building for four days during the Festival of Politics in October.

Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Ken Macintosh MSP, said: “This award is a terrific achievement and a real recognition of the effort our staff put in to making the Scottish Parliament such a warm and welcoming place to visit.

“We are proud to welcome thousands of visitors each week from right across Scotland and beyond and I hope this award will encourage even more people to visit the Parliament and experience it for themselves.

“The Scottish Parliament is a unique destination. Not only will you be at the heart of Scottish politics, you can enjoy a free exhibition or just relax with a coffee in an architecturally inspiring building in the shadow of Arthur’s Seat. Our doors are open and a warm 5-star welcome awaits you.”

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland said: “Congratulations to the Scottish Parliament on this fantastic achievement. The Scottish Parliament is a truly spectacular building that offers a fantastic insight into the history and politics of our country.

“It is great to see the hard work and commitment of all staff involved in welcoming visitors to this historic building being recognised with this prestigious award.

“Our Quality Assurance scheme helps businesses to reach their full potential and truly shine. The scheme is about more than just the ‘stars’ on the door – it’s about the entire visitor experience, about investing in your business, driving-up quality and creating jobs.

“Delivering a quality experience that meets, and exceeds, visitor expectations is crucial in making Scotland a must-visit, must-return destination.”

VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance schemes can open the door to new customers. It is a powerful marketing tool and works well with online review sites in using an independent perspective to measure visitor experience against tried and tested criteria, so visitors know exactly what to expect.

The Scottish Parliament also has a café, shop and creche for visitors; runs specialist photography, art and architecture tours; and has a permanent exhibition ‘Parliament for the People’ open all year round.

Find out more information about the Scottish Parliament and how to visit.
Find more information on VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance scheme.

Five star Usher Hall is out of this world!

Its 100-year-career boasts sell out shows from the Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash and Ella Fitzgerald – but the real stars of the Usher Hall can be found off stage. Staff at Edinburgh’s flagship music venue are celebrating a 5* review for the sixth year in a row from Scotland’s national tourism body, VisitScotland. The grading cements the Usher Hall’s status as the only 5* concert hall in Scotland. Continue reading Five star Usher Hall is out of this world!

Five star Botanics

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It’s been wowing visitors for centuries, but the world-renowned Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is celebrating after being awarded five-star visitor attraction status by national tourism organisation VisitScotland. 

Established in 1670 and famed for its horticultural and scientific excellence, the Garden received VisitScotland’s highest grading award under its Quality Assurance Scheme.

The award marks only the second garden in Scotland to achieve such status with RBGE-run Dawyck Botanic Garden in Peeblesshire in possession of the other.

Everything from visitor welcome, signage, decor, menu, merchandise and cleanliness are judged and graded to give the final scoring.

Presenting the award to the RBGE’s Regius Keeper, Professor Stephen Blackmore, VisitScotland Chairman Mike Cantlay said: “The timing of this award could not be more fitting given the forthcoming launch of the Year of Natural Scotland on January 1. The Year of Natural Scotland is a chance to showcase Scotland’s unique natural environment and grow tourism spend in every corner of the country.

“The five star award denotes world-class status and is testament to the hard work by all staff and the ongoing investment that has made the Royal Botanic Garden what it is today. I would like to congratulate the team on a wonderful achievement.’’

Professor Blackmore said: “On behalf of everyone at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh I am delighted to accept this award from VisitScotland. We know how important visitor attractions and tourism are to the economy of Scotland, we know that expectations are always rising and we are glad we can provide a warm welcome and high level of service to our visitors”.

VisitScotland has operated Quality Assurance grading schemes since April 1995 and these are recognised worldwide. The scheme offers tourism operators an independent quality assurance award for visitor attractions, as well as many other sectors of the tourism industry.