Press release -
Business tourism to the fore in Fife
Conference organisers and tour operators from throughout the UK and Ireland have been trying their hand at hickory golf and land yachting in the Kingdom as part of a special VisitScotland familiarisation trip.
Hosted by the national tourism organisation’s Business Tourism Unit, last week’s visit saw a 12-strong party from Ireland, London and the Midlands - including event management, conference, travel and tour buyers – come to Fife, where they visited a variety of tourism businesses and venues.
While in the region, they visited at a number of hotels and attractions, including the Best Western Plus Keavil House Hotel in Dunfermline, The Bay Hotel at Kinghorn and Balbirnie House Hotel by Glenrothes; played traditional Hickory Golf on the Kingarrock Golf Course and visited Hill of Tarvit Mansion at Cupar.
They enjoyed a visit to Kinkell Byre and stayed at the five-star Fairmont St Andrews, as well as being given a tour of the five-star Old Course Hotel & Golf Resort and tried their hand at land yachting with Blown Away at West Sands Beach, where the epic Chariots of Fire was filmed.
The group also visited Dundee and Angus and called in at the Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire - host of The Ryder Cup 2014.
Theresa Ring, Business Tourism Executive at VisitScotland’s Business Tourism Unit, said:
“Business tourism is a huge sector, worth £1.9 billion to Scotland’s economy. Fife has a great deal to offer in terms of venues and accommodation and this familiarisation trip was the perfect opportunity for industry professionals to enjoy the region at first hand.”
Ann Camus, Fife Tourism Partnership Manager, said:
“The Kingdom of Fife is a region in Scotland that is steeped in history and modern in its facilities and Fife Tourism Partnership is delighted to welcome UK and international buyers to the region.
“With a vast selection of venues to choose, from 5 star luxury to intimate settings for small groups and a wealth of activities to tempt all from mild to extreme, the kingdom has it all.
“To make life even better we have a new website that takes the guessing out of where to host your next event. http://www.meetingsinfife.com/ is our online bureau for information and direct bookings for conferences, business meetings and special events, which means that we are open for business 24 hours a day, UK visitors can see what’s on offer, make enquiries and plan an itinerary easily. It also showcases other local activities, historical, cultural and sporting, which can make all the difference when planning a major conference or event.”
John Galligan, of John Galligan Travel, said:
“What a wonderful trip. As a golfer, it was magnificent to travel to the heart of golf and experience the world famous St Andrews. The venues around here are stunning and the off-golf-course activities have really developed to make this a very hot incentive/meetings location. Tell everybody!”
Paula Kelsey, Managing Director of Cloud 9 Event Management Ltd, said:
“The recent fam trip with VisitScotland was incredibly well-structured with the opportunity to discover some truly stunning new venues and reconnect with those that have perhaps fallen off the radar for clients recently.
“A more interesting, educational and fun experience would be hard to find and the organisational talents of the team at VisitScotland in delivering such a great fam, hard to beat. We have a renewed vigour for venues in Scotland which we are looking forward to sharing with our clients as a result of the trip and are genuinely excited about working with both Visit Scotland and some unique properties in the near future.”
Stephen Agostini, Incentives manager at Eurowelcome/Anglovision, said:
“The fam trip was a great experience as it opened up my mind to include other activities that I don’t normally include in my quotes and itineraries, such as the Blown away, Falconry and Gundog EXPERIENCES.”
The Business Tourism Unit (BTU) aims to stimulate economic growth for Scotland through the acquisition of business tourism events from across all sectors. Business Tourism refers to Meetings, Conferences, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE).
Ends
For further information contact:
Tom MaxwellCorporate Press Officer
Tel: 0131 472 2409
tom.maxwell@visitscotland.com
Out of hours media enquiries: 07699 766986
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 has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- 2014 is the year Scotland welcomes the world, when it hosts the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and more than 800 Homecoming events throughout the country.For more information on Homecoming Scotland 2014, go to www.visitscotland.com
- The VisitScotland Information Centre network is a unique face-to-face channel engaging with around five million visitors and locals each year. Everyone who uses a VisitScotland Information Centre goes on to spend an additional £5.35, generating over £24 million for Scotland’s economy.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, tourism employs 270,000 people in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the industry contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- 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
- For more information on VisitScotland’s annual review please go to www.visitscotland.org/about_us/our_focus/annual_report.aspx
