Press release -
Scottish winter breaks are just the ticket!
For the first time, VisitScotland has teamed up with CrossCountry trains to entice people in the North East of England to take a winter break in Scotland.
After stunning images of Edinburgh and Glasgow were beamed to television audiences worldwide during the huge events of 2014, VisitScotland is encouraging people in the North East of England to visit Edinburgh and Glasgow via CrossCountry trains, one of the most extensive railway franchises in the UK, and experience a winter wonderland short break.
Last year, Edinburgh was voted one of the world’s best winter cities by broadcasting giant CNN. After making the list of ‘Ten Best Cities for a Winter Vacation’ and with nearly a million visitors coming to Scotland from the North East of England every year, spending £206 million, the national tourism organisation is looking to maximise the opportunities that come from such a significant market.
The campaign, which runs from mid-November to the end of January, will target people in the North East of England through online activity, radio, email, and press.
As part of the campaign, one lucky winner and a friend will win a winter break with a choice of two nights in either Edinburgh or Glasgow.
The Glasgow option includes a luxury stay at Blythswood Square Hotel & Spa, lunch at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow City Sightseeing Tour tickets and return train tickets to Glasgow from any CrossCountry-served station.
The Edinburgh choice includes a luxury stay at The Bonham Hotel, including a three-course evening meal on one of nights at Restaurant at The Bonham, entry tickets and lunch at The Royal Yacht Britannia, Edinburgh Bus Tour tickets and return train tickets to Edinburgh from any CrossCountry-served station.
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland said:
“As train journeys are so short from the North East of England to Edinburgh and Glasgow, people are just a couple of hours from a special Scottish winter wonderland.
“With the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, The Ryder Cup, countless Homecoming events and the recent MTV Europe Music Awards, 2014 has been a year like no other for Scotland. But with so much going on across the country this winter, the tourist season is far but over.
“From St Andrew's Day to Burns night, Scotland is brimming with great events, unique entertainment, shopping experiences and more than enough festive cheer to warm up those winter nights.”
Clare Shufflebotham, Marketing Communications Manager at CrossCountry Trains, said:
“CrossCountry is delighted to be working in partnership with VisitScotland to inspire our customers across Great Britain to re-discover Scotland. CrossCountry connects Scotland with major cities like Newcastle, York, Leeds and Birmingham and we’re hoping to really showcase the numerous events, attractions and hidden gems that Scotland has to offer.”
As Edinburgh and Glasgow transform into winter wonderlands, there are plenty of inspirational events and things to see and do, from the sparkling festivities of the European Christmas markets in Edinburgh, to Santa Dash and Glasgow on Ice in Glasgow.
In 2013, almost 15 million overnight tourism trips were taken in Scotland, of which 12.12 million were from the GB market. The GB market therefore accounts for 82 per cent of tourism trips to Scotland.
For more information on Scotland’s winter festivals visit http://www.visitscotland.com/see-do/events/winter-festivals/
For more information on CrossCountry see http://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/
For further information contact:
Jack Gorman
Corporate Press Officer
Tel: 0131 472 2283
jack.gorman@visitscotland.com
Out of hours media enquiries: 07699 766986
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- uk & ireland 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.
- 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
