Press release -
Discover your Hidden Highlands
A new eBook and film – which has already been viewed almost 83,000 times on You Tube - are bringing to life the breathtaking scenery and diverse array of activities on offer in the Highlands, as part of a VisitScotland marketing campaign promoting the region to visitors.
This vast region has long been celebrated for its rugged landscapes, unspoiled coastlines and strong outdoor and wildlife links, and the new video produced by the national tourism, organisation brings these locations to life and lifts the lid on what makes the Highlands a unique and memorable destination.
The film and eBook which is broken down into five sections ‘see’, ‘feel’, ‘meet’, ‘do’ and ‘eat’, will be used by VisitScotland to encourage people to ‘Discover Your Hidden Highlands’ and will be promoted across its global digital channels, to encourage people to visit this spring.
To ensure both seasonal and geographical spread, the online interactive eBookimmerses the viewer in the hidden gems of the Highlands - off the beaten track adventures, surprising experiences in unusual places, quirky seasonal events and remote, seldom-visited wild places.
Hidden gems and Highland locations featured include:
- Inverness Botanic Gardens
- Kinloch Castle, Isle of Rum, Lochaber
- Neolithic mysteries in Caithness
- Kayaking on the Isle of Skye
- Groove Cairngorms
- The Wild Lochaber Festival
- Coire Mhic Fhearchair and the Gille Brighde Restaurant, Wester Ross
- Portmahomack in Easter Ross
- Nairn Beach
- Highland treats at the Inshriach Potting Shed in the Cairngorms National Park or Cocoa Mountain in Durness
- Seafood at The Whitehouse Restaurant in Lochaline, Lochaber, or Creelers on the Isle of Skye.
- Cul Mor and Stac Pollaidh, Assynt
- Castle Sinclair Girnigoe and Latheronwheel Harbour, Caithness
- Speyside Distillery, Kingussie
- Abriachan Forest, near Inverness
- Sanna Bay, Ardnamurchan
- Old Bridge Inn, Aviemore
The eBook promotes a range of outdoor activities as well as highlighting the unique culinary offering of the Highlands, including local seafood, sweet treats and Highland home cooking.
The eBook and film will be promoted as part of a major regional marketing campaign through digital media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Taboola and TrueView.
Scott Armstrong, VisitScotland Regional Partnerships Director, said: “This latest eBook and film builds of the success of VisitScotland’s Spirit of Scotland global campaign and #ScotSpirit social movement which aims to raise the profile and reputation of the region as an outstanding place to visit, and to invest, live and work in.
“What better way to show off the best of what the Highlands has to offer than in an eBook and film like this? This is an additional asset for VisitScotland to promote the region and its hidden gems to visitors at home and further afield. It brings to life what visitors can experience on a trip to the region and we hope it will encourage people to share their own experience on our online iKnow community and entice others to discover the magic of the region for themselves.”
Colin Simpson, Highland Council’s Principal Tourism & Film Officer said: “Highland Council is delighted to again be supporting VisitScotland’s additional marketing activity for the Highlands. In particular I’m delighted to see some of the Highland’s hidden gems given a level of prominence they don’t often get.
“The use of new digital technologies is also allowing the visitor to immerse themselves in the Highlands even before they arrive giving them a much better understanding of what the area really has to offer which, in turn, should allow them to get the most out of their visit.”
For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/highlands
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- content marketing
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 seven overarching strategies:
- Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
- Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
- Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
- Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
- Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
- Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
- Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
- 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.
- 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.
- The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority for the European Structural Funds 2014-20 Programme. For further information visit www.gov.scot or follow @scotgovESIF
- 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 events in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
- 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology
- 2017 is the year to delve into the past and discover Scotland’s fascinating stories through a wide-ranging variety of new and existing activity to drive the nation’s tourism and events sector, boosting tourism across Scotland.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology begins on 1 January 2017 and will end on 31 December 2017. It will build on the momentum generated by previous themed years in Scotland including the 2015 Year of Food and Drink, Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Creative Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Built Environment Forum Scotland, Heritage Lottery Fund, Museums Galleries Scotland and Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is supported by £570,000 of Scottish Government funding.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
- For more information visit visitscotland.com/HHA2017 or join the conversation at #HHA2017
