Moray Speyside focus of Tea and Tourism tour

Tourism leaders of the future and innovative new tourism business owners in Moray Speyside were among a number of people who met VisitScotland’s Chief Executive as part of his ‘Listening Tour’ this week.

Malcolm Roughead is visiting a number of locations across Scotland as part of his national tour. A similar event last year saw him convene 13 meetings around the country, engaging with some 200 industry influencers.

Building on last year’s success, this series of Chief Executive Listening Tour meetings gives tourism organisations and businesses access and opportunity, to speak directly to Mr Roughead. This year’s meetings focus on emerging tourism industry leaders and younger tourism business owners, operators and influencers.

Amongst his appointments in Moray Speyside, Mr Roughead met Emma Nicolson, Marketing and Merchandising Manager at Knockando Woolmill. After starting employment at the historic Woolmill in 2013 as a Graduate Web Development Officer, then moving to E-Commerce and Marketing Co-ordinator, she quickly progressed to her current role.

Knockando Woolmill was established in 1784 and has an unbroken 200-year-old tradition of producing woven fabric on historic looms. The attraction includes a number of tours (self-guided/guided/tour & tea) and a calendar of events including workshops, family events and local textile groups.

Mr Roughead also met Jennifer Kelly, Marketing and PR Manager for Gordon Castle Estate at Fochabers. Jennifer has been in post at the historic sporting estate - which is still family-owned - since January. The estate is classed as one of the finest sporting estates in Scotland, offering a range of country sports, and is renowned for its salmon fishing on the Spey.

Angus Gordon Lennox, owner of Gordon Castle Estate said: 

“We were delighted to welcome Malcolm to Gordon Castle as part of his Listening Tour, it was an excellent opportunity to find out about VisitScotland’s vision for tourism businesses going forward.

“His visit allowed us to show him, first hand, our ongoing renovation project to breathe life back into one of Britain’s largest and oldest walled gardens, as well as our ongoing efforts to run a traditional Scottish Castle Estate. Lunch was thoroughly enjoyable and we hope to see them again soon.”

Film-maker Tom Duncan, who founded Northport Studios, a creative hub in Elgin, also met Mr Roughead. Tom is a well-known and highly-regarded entrepreneur who is passionate about Moray Speyside. He has already been involved in producing videos for the region with the Moray Speyside Tourism group, as well as for key local attractions, including Johnston’s of Elgin.

Tom Duncan said: 

“It was a real feather in the cap for our studio to contribute to Malcolm’s listening tour around Moray Speyside. We work with several highly respected organisations in the region such as Moray Speyside Tourism, The Malt Whisky Trail and Johnstons of Elgin; our goal is to provide them with the best digital content we can and we’re delighted to take feedback from Malcolm and the VisitScotland team.

“Building from relationships in Moray Speyside, we’ve been able to expand our tourism production offer further afield. Our base in Elgin, combined with advances in technology, mean that we can deliver a style and standard of production previously unavailable for regional campaigns. It's such an exciting time to be shooting tourism in Scotland.”

In the evening, Mr Roughead attended a stakeholder dinner at the Station Hotel in Rothes, hosted by the hotel’s General Manager, Neil Slessor. This was attended by a number of local tourism-related guests, including Laurie Piper, Operations Manager at Moray Speyside Tourism; Sarah Medcraf, Chief Executive Officer from Moray Chamber of Commerce; Margery McLennan, Executive Director of Moray Chamber of Commerce; James Campbell, Chairman of Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival and James Johnston, Chair of the Malt Whisky Trail, as well as a number of local council officials.

On Wednesday, Mr Roughead met Esme Saville, who recently became the Marketing and PR Manager at The Craigellachie, a 120-year-old country hotel, reopened in 2014 following a £3m refurbishment. Prior to this role, she worked as Marketing & Digital Manager at Moray Speyside Tourism.

Built in 1893, where the rivers Fiddich and Spey come together, The Craigellachie sits in the very heart of Moray Speyside. The small hotel has a worldwide reputation as a base for fishing, shooting and relaxing. It is also known for serving the finest of local produce, particularly Speyside single malt whisky.

The Mansefield Hotel in Elgin was the venue for the round-table tourism discussion on Wednesday afternoon, hosted by Mr Roughead, with a number of other local tourism entrepreneurs, including Samantha Fraser, from Findhorn Bay Arts; Lewis Smart, from Ace Adventures; Katalin Urquhart, from Cullen Sea School; Pery Zakeri, from Speyside Whisky Festival and Sharon Davidson, from Smadug.

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: 

“Tourism is at the heart of economic success in Moray Speyside – it creates jobs and sustains communities in every corner of Moray Speyside, all year round.

“The aim of this week’s visit to the region was to meet industry leaders, younger tourism operators and owners to discuss how we could continue to capitalise on the wealth of opportunities in the region and maximise the impact on the visitor economy.

“The businesses I have visited in Moray Speyside have demonstrated that they are all showcasing the best of what the region has to offer – from its unique heritage, history and culture right through to its world-famous links to whisky.

“What has struck me about these businesses is their authenticity – whether it has been harnessing the wonderful landscape and local environment to create a successful tourism business, or celebrating its rich history and traditions.”

Earlier this year, VisitScotland launched its biggest ever global campaign and social movement – Spirit of Scotland. The campaign is built on extensive research that shows the people think Scotland has a unique spirit – whether it’s the magic of the landscapes or the warmth of the people. It has already been hugely successful, with more than 160,000 shares of #ScotSpirit since launch.

During her previous role at Moray Speyside Tourism, Esme Saville was selected to be an ambassador for the #ScotSpirit campaign and her image has been used to promote it.

Caption: VisitScotland Chief Executive Malcolm Roughead is pictured at Knockando Woolmill with Emma Nicolson, Marketing and Merchandising Manager.