Press release -
Putting Scotland in the Picture
Some of Scotland’s top social media snappers are taking over VisitScotland’s Instagram channel.
For three days every week, the influential Instagrammers are showcasing the best of Scotland through their own lens on the national tourism organisation’s @VisitScotland account.
The keen photographers come from across Scotland, including Glasgow, Highlands, Aberdeenshire and Orkney, and many have up to 100k followers on the photo-sharing social networking service.
The takeover began in September with Darren Brogan (aka @poetic_mouse) a keen photographer and hillwalker from Dunfermline.
Every Wednesday to Friday, @VisitScotland posts pictures and stories by the featured Instagrammer with a link to their own Instagram account.
Other Scottish Instagrammers who have featured on the VisitScotland account so far include Rab Ritchie (@itsrab) from Central Scotland , Fiona Annal (@fionaannal) from Orkney and Ellis O’Connor (@ellisoconnor) from the Highlands.
Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland said:
“Instagram is a fantastic platform to reveal our picturesque scenery to a worldwide audience. VisitScotland’s social media team already do an excellent job using this online tool to promote our distinct landscape, so it is a delight to find such top Instagrammers just as enthusiastic about Scotland as we are.
“Scotland has a worldwide reputation for its natural beauty which has inspired photographers to come to our shores and take in our spectacular landscapes. We hope our Instagrammers will inspire even more to do the same.”
VisitScotland’s Instagram account can be found at https://instagram.com/visitscotland/
A selection of photos from the VisitScotland Instagram account. Find below the credited Instagrammers and what they wrote to accompany the pictures:
The Little White House, Highlands, by Darren Brogan (@poetic_mouse):
“This is probably one of the most photographed cottages in the country and every time I get the chance to drive up through Glencoe, I can’t help but pull over and grab a picture of it. It’s a beautiful part of the country and it’s totally worth the drive up there from Fife.”
Isle of Eigg, Inner Hebrides, by Ellis O’Connor (@ellisoconnor):
“This photo was taken in the middle of the winter, I was spending a week on Eigg taking part in an artist residency with the Bothy Project. I hiked up to this inspiring look out which is called ‘The Finger of God’ and was met with these views out to the Isle of Rum. It’s a place I will never forget.”
The Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye, by Rab Ritchie (@itsrab):
“I read about this place before we went there. I thought there would be a collection of waterfalls and that’d be about it. I was pretty wrong. It feels like there is an endless amount of little waterfalls and pools leading you all the way up the path.”
The Standing Stones of Stenness, Orkney, by Fiona Annal (@fionaannal):
“Orkney sunsets are nothing short of brilliant. The Standing Stones of Stenness is the oldest Neolithic stone circle in Orkney. As you move around each towering rock, you can't help but feel enchanted and swept up in the magic that you're part of something quite spectacular.”
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Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- social media
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
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- 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’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
- Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
- Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
- Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
- Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
- Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
- Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
- Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
- 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 events 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
