TOURISM businesses across Dumfries and Galloway are being encouraged to tap into dedicated online resources that have the potential to help support their growth.
VisitScotland.org offers the tourism industry a free and comprehensive guide to accessing help and support from the national tourism organisation.
The relaunched site provides key facts, insights and practical advice and support designed to help businesses unlock their potential to grow.
The new-look resource – that currently attracts around 550,000 views every year – provides information that is easy to find, digest and use, includes access to:
- Up-to-the minute research and data on tourism trends. Around 40 research and insight papers are published every year on the website;
- Regional factsheets offering unique insights into visitors’ experiences in Scotland, broken down into 15 regions;
- Factsheets on 14 key international markets detailing consumer insights and statistics;
- VisitScotland marketing guides which attract 15,000 views every year
- All the latest tourism news from across the country;
- Information on key tourism training and industry events taking place across Scotland;
- The latest job opportunities at VisitScotland;
- Information on how to sign up to a free listing at visitscotland.com and gain access to 1.7million business referrals;
- More information on VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance programme;
- Access to VisitScotland’s digital media library.
VisitScotland Director of Industry and Destination Development, Riddell Graham, said: “The number of tourism businesses who engage with VisitScotland online has increased in recent years, reflecting the growing demand for digital information. The new website has been designed with the tourism industry at its heart to provide a collaborative, informative and interactive platform to engage with the national tourism organisation.
“A one-stop shop for all businesses and corporate stakeholders to access VisitScotland’s marketing products, up-to-the minute advice and support, VisitScotland.org will focus on helping the industry achieve growth and improve quality across every point of the customer journey.
“We want to be able to support tourism businesses from Stranraer to Shetland, and from Ardnamurchan to Montrose, and everywhere across Scotland, to achieve their maximum potential.
“Tourism is more than a holiday experience – it is the heartbeat of the Scottish economy – worth £11billion – and touches every community, generating income, jobs and social change. The only certainty about the future is that the digital landscape will move faster than ever before. VisitScotland.org provides support for the tourism industry that’s easy to find, digest and use which will in turn help them achieve growth and provide quality experiences for visitors to Scotland.”
Business owner, Gethin Chamberlain, from the Scottish Borders, recently used the website for the first time. Mr Chamberlain is currently in the process of renovating The Five Turrets in Selkirk, an historic property due to open as self-catering accommodation in August. He said the advice and support available from VisitScotland online was invaluable.
He said: “As a new tourism business owner, I was very keen to engage with VisitScotland to enquire about listings and ratings. It is in our best interests to work together. Seeking advice from VisitScotland at an early stage has been really important for us in the renovation work we have been doing in order to make sure that we are meeting the needs of our customers.
“The fact that we can gain access to a library of photographs through Visitscotland.org and learn more about promoting our business to visitors to Edinburgh as well as overseas markets from the US, Canada and China, is great news for us. The more information we can get, the better it enables us to target our key markets and attract visitors and we can get this through working with VisitScotland.”
VisitScotland’s new industry website can be viewed at: visitscotland.org
