The Cairndale Hotel & Spa will be one of several tourism businesses from Dumfries and Galloway that are set to attend an event to help them grow by reaching more visitors through the domestic and international travel trade.
Travel trade event brings new global opportunities
Held from 9-10 April at P&J Live in Aberdeen, VisitScotland Connect 2025 is designed to increase the country’s share of global travel in a sustainable way, supporting the economic growth of one of Scotland’s most valuable industries.
Annandale Distillery, Gretna Green, The Cairndale Hotel & Spa, and the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) are among more than 240 ‘trade-ready’ businesses from across Scotland – including accommodation, experiences and attractions – who will connect with over 250 buyers who plan inspirational Scotland trips for their clients.
The buyers represent 20 countries, including those in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the UK domestic market.
The event provides a unique opportunity for these eligible businesses – who can work with and sell through an intermediary, such as a tour operator, travel advisor or Destination Management Company (DMC) – to showcase new destinations, experiences and products which can be included in travel itineraries being sold around the globe.
VisitScotland Connect is an integral part of the national tourism organisation’s support to enable Scottish businesses to internationalise and sell their experiences to markets all over the world.
Whilst the UK is the largest market for visits to Scotland, international visitors tend to stay longer and spend more, which is of vital importance as the industry continues to face challenges as a result of the cost of living and the cost of doing business.
Gordon Smith, VisitScotland Destination Development Director, said: “VisitScotland Connect is part of our wider plan to support tourism and events. It presents an important opportunity for tourism businesses to meet face-to-face with global tour operators and travel agents to showcase the amazing visitor offering this region has, which enhances the economic growth of tourism and events.
“As an economic growth agency, VisitScotland has three key priorities – market development, place development and business and experience development.
“Through our work with and support for the industry, we help to stimulate investment into Scotland and help businesses internationalise and reach new customers at home and abroad.
“At the same time, we are helping the tour operators to find new regional experiences to share with their customers, addressing their changing holiday demands and continuing to evolve Scotland’s profile as a destination.”
Matthew Wallace Jnr, Director of the Cairndale Hotel, said: “VisitScotland Connect plays a vital role in helping us build meaningful relationships with international buyers and trade partners. As a business, we’ve made significant investments in recent years, transforming The Cairndale into a luxury destination spa property.
“We see the travel trade as a key route to showcasing this transformation and to engaging new markets – particularly North America and Europe, where there’s strong demand for authentic Scottish experiences rooted in history, wellness, and warm hospitality.
“Being part of Connect allows us to tell our story in person and create the kind of connections that simply aren’t possible over email. It’s a brilliant opportunity to put Dumfries and the South of Scotland firmly on the map.”
In addition to the travel trade workshop event in Aberdeen, participants will also take part in a specially curated programme of 13 familiarisation trips (fam trips) – both pre and post event – will showcase the best of Scotland’s tourism offering across 21 regions and involving around 130 businesses.
Highlighting products with a strong emphasis on sustainability, these fam trips allow travel trade representatives to experience first-hand everything from local culture and food and drink to luxury and outdoor adventures and wildlife at a variety of different destinations.
Feedback from the 2024 event revealed that 90% of suppliers were satisfied with the business potential the event provided and 90% of buyers planned to feature places visited on fam trips in their future Scotland programmes.
