Press release -
2018 looks to be another Fife-tastic year!
Manuela Calchini, Regional Partnerships Director for VisitScotland, looks forward to what 2018 has to offer following a fantastic year for tourism in Fife.
“As we begin a new year, I am filled with optimism and excitement following a great year for tourism in Fife. From highly successful marketing campaigns to hosting top events, 2017 built well on the successes of 2016.
“New investments such as the Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries and Lindores Abbey Distillery further enhanced the visitor experience and the iconic Queensferry Crossing was added to our prestigious list of world-renowned landmarks.
“2017 was the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology. From the Forth Bridge, a World Heritage Site, to historic locations like St Andrews Cathedral and Culross Palace, it shone a light on the region’s rich heritage and fascinating history, showcasing some of our best assets and uncovering hidden gems.
“Known throughout the world as the Home of Golf, Fife once again showed why it is one of the world’s ultimate Golfing destinations by hosting world-class events like the RICOH Women’s British Open and Kingsbarns Golf Links in St Andrews winning the Best Customer Service award at the Scottish Golf Tourism Awards.
“This year will see the Senior Open Championship come to St Andrews for the first time. Over 140 of the world’s finest over-50s golfers will travel to the Old Course in July to compete for one of the sport’s finest accolades. This will no doubt attract fans from all over the world to Fife and, with golf tourism worth £286m to Scotland’s visitor economy, it is imperative that businesses continue to deliver excellent service and keep these visitors coming back year after year.
“Golf isn’t our only source of major events. Last year Knockhill Racing Circuit welcomed the British Touring Car Championships and Crail Food Festival once again showed its importance to the tourism industry by collecting the Working Together for Tourism Award at The Central East and Tayside Scottish Thistle Awards.
“This year marks the Year of Young People which will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally. Central to the year will be a celebratory events programme which will include Futureproof in Fife. This radical new festival of performing arts, along with old favourites like the Pittenweem Arts Festival, and a number of other top events, will allow the region to continue to showcase itself, and Scotland, as the perfect stage.
“2017 has been another great year for Screen Tourism in Fife with the ‘Outlander effect’ bringing more and more visitors to the region. Figures have shown substantial increases in footfall for attractions which feature in the series with Aberdour Castle enjoying a 17% increase in visitor numbers since the show first aired. Our Outlander Film Locations Map, featuring attractions like Falkland Palace and Dysart Harbour, has also been very popular with over 50,000 downloads. With the third season being aired in September last year, I’m sure we will see many more set-jetters coming to experience the region’s fascinating history and heritage.
“Fife also hit our TV screens this year thanks to an innovative partnership with E4 to target millennials through an interactive campaign. A group were filmed visiting East Neuk Fife Craft, Kingsbarn Distillery and trying their hand at land yachting with Blown Away. With over 4000 video views and almost 13 million reached via social media, the campaign was a great success.
“Another exciting campaign was the Fife Fives, run in partnership with Fife Council. This innovative project saw a series of short videos highlight some of the region’s best exploits and is a great example of how we work closely with communities and businesses to showcase Fife’s rich assets. Partnership and collaboration is at the heart of Scottish tourism and, as we begin a new year, I look forward to our continued work with local industry to develop and deliver innovative initiatives that grow the visitor economy.
“In 2017 we revealed a dynamic strategy to address the diverse transformation in the way visitors access information on what to see and do while in the country. This year Fife will see a significant increase in the number of channels providing content on places to visit and stay, with a mix of industry partners, Coo Vans and digital products sitting alongside the high footfall iCentre in St Andrews.
“Reflecting on a successful year really shows just how fantastic a tourism offering Fife has and one must also remember how important this is. Tourism is more than a holiday experience – it is integral to sustaining communities across Scotland by generating income, creating jobs and stimulating social change. I look forward to another great year for tourism in Fife and all the benefits that come with it.
“2017 was also my final year as Regional Partnerships Director for Fife. The last four years in the role have been wonderful. I have met so many incredible people, discovered unique and innovative businesses, attended top events and learnt so much about this fantastic region. In my new role as Head of Information at VisitScotland I will still be very much involved in tourism and Fife and I am excited to see this very special part of Scotland continue to grow from strength to strength.”
ENDS
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by five overarching strategies: Marketing, Events, Quality and Sustainability, Inclusive Tourism, International Engagement.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
2018 Year of Young People
- The Year of Young People 2018 will be the next of the Scottish Government’s series of themed years, following the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017.
- The Year of Young People (YoYP 2018) will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally
- Central to YoYP 2018 will be a celebratory events programme that puts young people at the heart of its development and delivery, creating new and valuable experiences for young Scots and the wider public, with links to the inaugural 2018 European Championships.
- Over 200 young people throughout Scotland are currently being recruited to become YoYP 2018 Ambassadors. Ambassadors will ensure that people and organisations in their communities know about what’s happening and will lead on projects and activities to create events and opportunities to celebrate young people.
- The Year of Young People will have six themes which were developed in co-production with young people themselves:
- oParticipation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
- oEducation – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
- oHealth and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
- oEquality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
- oEnterprise and regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live
- oCulture – celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
- Further information on what’s happening and how people can get involved can be found on the new website www.yoyp2018.scot or @YOYP2018 on Twitter.
