Press release -
Middle eastern promise
Speaking after a press conference today in Edinburgh, ahead of the launch of Qatar Airways new route to Scotland on 28 May, Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland said:
“We’re absolutely delighted to be working in partnership with Qatar Airways. This is an unbelievable opportunity to open up Scotland even further to our key long haul and emerging markets, targeting not only new luxury traveller and family segments from the Middle East, but also the valuable ancestral tourism market in Australasia - a major opportunity for the Scottish tourism industry during Homecoming Scotland 2014. The worldwide ancestral market is worth an estimated £2.4 billion to Scotland, with Australasia alone representing a potential value of around £60m.
“This new route will not only be the first from the Middle East direct to Edinburgh, but will also expand links to Scotland from Qatar Airways’ 136 destinations around the world. To have such an awe-inspiring new aircraft as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner landing on Scottish soil will heighten the excitement with the very latest in air travel comfort for our visitors.
“As Scotland welcomes the world to the Year of Homecoming, the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and The Ryder Cup, there has never been a better time to visit our stunning country and we look forward to welcoming visitors from Qatar and beyond to our shores to experience an unforgettable year”.
- Edinburgh will be the airline’s third destination in the UK, preceded only by London in 1997 and Manchester in 2003.
- Flight details:
DOHA to/from EDINBURGH
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
QR 027 departs Doha (DOH) at 08.00; arrives Edinburgh (EDI) at 13.15
QR028 departs Edinburgh (EDI) at 14.45; arrives Doha (DOH) at 23.40
- For further information, contact Qatar Airways Group, Corporate Comms Dept
Tel +974 443 2072 / qatarairways@verypcc.com
-ENDS-
For further information contact:
Kate Turnbull
Corporate Press Manager
Tel: 0131 472 2324
Out of hours media enquiries: 07699 766986
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- international 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 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
