Press release -
New Year Honour for VisitScotland Chairman
VisitScotland Chairman Mike Cantlay has been named an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List following a remarkable year for Scottish tourism.
The national tourism organisation led on the delivery of The Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, put together a programme of more than 1,000 events for Homecoming and promoted Glasgow and Scotland to global media and business during the Commonwealth Games.
Mike Cantlay OBE said: "I'm hugely humbled. It's been an absolute privilege to lead VisitScotland, but I must stress that it has been an exceptional team effort. I'd like to pay tribute to the hundreds of thousands of Scots in the hospitality, travel and leisure industries who cared so passionately for our visitors during what has been an incredible year for tourism in this country.
“In 2014 the World came to Scotland and had a fabulous time. More than ever Scotland is renowned globally as a 'must-see' destination and hopefully, in the years to come, tourism will continue to create new jobs and prosperity for communities throughout Scotland."
Since he was appointed Chairman in 2010, Mr Cantlay has been instrumental in uniting the tourism industry and other partners behind the ‘Winning Years’ and ensuring the success of several major events and projects.
His honour recognises his efforts not just this year, but also his key role in VisitScotland’s partnership with Disney.
As well as his innovative approach to profile-raising activities, Mr Cantlay has worked with the global business community to bring events, conferences, new air routes and new hotel investments to Scotland.
Aside from his role as VisitScotland Chairman, he is also a Board member at VisitBritain and a specialist retailer of Scottish tartans, highland dress, cashmere and whisky in Canada, North America and Scotland.
He has previously held roles as Managing Director of Highland Industries Ltd, which owned “The Whisky Shop” chain, Managing Director and Chairman of Hector Russell Ltd, Chair of Forth Valley Enterprise, Chairman of Forth Valley College, Advisory Board Member of Scottish Enterprise, Non-Executive Director of Highlands and Islands Airports and was elected Convener of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park authority.
He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Stirling in 2003 for services to tourism and was Scotland’s “Public Sector Leader of the Year” in 2012.
In his home life, Mr Cantlay is husband to Linda and father to ten-year-old twins Alastair and Fiona.
He is actively involved in the community of his home town of Callander as a past Chairman of the Round Table and Community Council. In total, Mr Cantlay has been a member of around 40 voluntary and charitable groups since the late 1980s.
Topics
- Tourism
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
