Press release -
If you've got it, haunt it
From a brand new supernatural map of Edinburgh’s spooky Royal Mile, to a bone-chilling exclusive video of Skaill House in Orkney, VisitScotland isn't missing a trick (or treat) this Halloween.
In order to make the most of the widespread interest around Halloween, the national tourism organisation has launched a unique campaign to increase awareness of the special events and activities taking place around Scotland during October 2014.
Activity will begin with the release of a specially created infographic recalling some specifically Scottish Halloween traditions plus a blog post detailing all of this year’s main Halloween events and festivals around Scotland.
Spook seekers will then be taken on a graphic tour of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile which highlights the dark and spooky associations of the capital city’s famous stretch of cobbled road, including tales of Deacon Brodie, Burke and Hare and the ghostly underground Vaults.
Two exclusive videos, which explore the haunted past at Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire and Skaill House in Orkney, have also been created for the VisitScotland YouTube channel.
Social media will not escape the eerie endeavours with a ‘Top 10 haunted places in Scotland’ post created for Facebook, spooky locations featured on Instagram and the production of new Haunted Scotland Pinterest boards. VisitScotland’s much-loved social media Highland coo icon will also be given a special Halloween makeover.
In October 2013, domestic overnight visitors who visited a historic house or castle spent £43 million during their trip.
The campaign, which is being created and delivered by VisitScotland begins today (Monday 27 October) and will continue throughout the week, culminating on Halloween itself.
VisitScotland Chief Executive Malcolm Roughead said: “From the first ever Scottish Paranormal Festival in Stirling to a Spooky Halloween Weekend at Scone Palace and a High Wire Adventure in the Dark at Nevis Range Mountain Resort, there are so many brilliant things to see and do right across Scotland this Halloween.
“With Scotland’s atmospheric landscape, haunted castles and historic houses, peculiar superstitions and occasionally morbid history, Scotland is the place to be at Halloween. This time of year brings a huge tourism potential and this campaign will showcase the vast range of things to see and do right across the country.”
Professor John Lennon, tourism academic who coined the phrase ‘Dark Tourism’ and Moffat Centre Chair in Travel and Tourism Business Development, said: “Halloween has a proven visitor pull factor – we only have to look at the speed with which merchandise has been adopted by high street retailers to confirm the broad appeal. The task here is to extend the Halloween festivities from one night only and capitalise on the appeal that our authentic heritage sites, events and attractions can offer.
“Dark Tourism is all about the fascination we have with the dark side of human nature, our ability to do evil and witness the evidence of horror which has a proven draw in literature, film and all forms of media. Such sites have proven appeal to visitors and locals alike.”
From the stone circles that are scattered across Scotland’s islands, which are thought to date back 5,000 years, to the famous Battle of Bannockburn, Scotland has a rich and colourful history. At Halloween, and throughout the year, visitors to Scotland can uncover stories of heroes, villains, fallen monarchs and bloody battles while marvelling at some truly breathtaking castles, monuments and architecture. For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/halloween
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- halloween 2014
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.
- 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
