Press release -
People asked us ‘what’s next’ after Commonwealth Games?
Mike Cantlay OBE, Chairman of VisitScotland said:
“After the stunning success of the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup in Scotland in 2014, people kept asking us ‘what’s next’? How could we continue and grow our reputation for hosting world-class events? Well, here we are, ready to show Scotland to the world once more for the 2018 European Sports Championships.
“For Scotland to keep winning such lucrative bids ahead of larger countries and cities, many might say we’re punching above our weight – and why not? We’ve proved we can achieve and that size really doesn’t matter when you excel in quality. Already this year we have hosted the Davis Cup, and with the World Gymnastics Championships, World Orienteering Championships and IPC World Swimming Championships in the next few months, to name but a few, the momentum is outstanding.
“As well as generating significant economic impacts for the country through event tourism, this is an opportunity to show off our venues, innovation, and globally renowned welcome to millions of people worldwide. With open water activity in Loch Lomond, cycling and swimming in Glasgow, diving in Edinburgh and rowing and triathlon events in North Lanarkshire, it’s a wonderful chance to illustrate the wealth of locations on offer and ensure we create a country-wide spectacle to remember.
“Our partnership with colleagues in Berlin will open up fantastic tourism and business marketing opportunities, which will be boosted by the free-to-air television coverage around Europe. 2018 will also see us celebrate the Year of Young People and we look forward to integrating that theme and opportunities into the Championships as the project develops over the next three years.”
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- eventscotland
- sportstourism
- glasgow 2014 commonwealth games
- corporate communications
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.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, the tourism economy supports 270,000 jobs in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the tourism economy 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
Year of Food and Drink 2015
- 2015 is the Year of Food and Drink, a celebration of Scotland’s natural larder and the role that food and drink plays in shaping our economic success.
- Scotland generates over £2.5m per day through food and drink tourism.
- A series of themed months will create an appetite for key areas of Scotland’s food and drink industries – from seafood and whisky to berries and high-quality meat
- For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/tastescotland
