Press release -
Visitors firmly in the frame
Stunning new videos to inspire potential visitors to “connect to their adventure” in Lochaber are to be created thanks to a £40,000 grant from the national tourism organisation.
VisitScotland has match-funded the Outdoor Capital of the UK’s (OCUK) exciting new digital campaign through its Growth Fund, while the group will also benefit from a further £20,000 from the Highland LEADER Programme.
Launched in the spectacular surroundings of Glen Nevis, the campaign will include the development of a suite of online films to be shared on the OCUK’s website and Facebook page.
The videos, which will be in both 11 and 55-second versions, will show how accessible the Outdoor Capital of the UK is for all, with people able to “connect to their adventure” via the Caledonia Sleeper.
They will also show that Lochaber not only boasts an outstanding array of outdoor activities, such as mountaineering, walking, snow sports and mountain biking, but also stunning scenery and fascinating heritage, including the Glenfinnan Viaduct, The Old Fort and the West Highland Museum.
The campaign will target UK-based consumers, including 20-something single travellers who are looking to wow their social media followers with spectacular images; families looking for a holiday that offers multiple activities; and members of the Baby Boom generation who have a high-level of income and enjoy self-guided tours and sampling local food.
With a strong emphasis on user-generated content, visitors to the region will be encouraged to share their experiences on social media using the hashtag #myoutdoorcapital. Using the hashtag will also give adventurers the opportunity to win breaks in Lochaber.
Scott Armstrong, VisitScotland’s Regional Director for the Highlands, said: “We are thrilled to give this Growth Fund award to the Outdoor Capital of the UK, so that the group can continue its excellent work in promoting all that this stunning part of the world has to offer. I’m sure the new digital campaign will prove a great success and inspire many more people to enjoy an unforgettable break in Lochaber.”
Chris O’Brien, Destination Manager of Outdoor Capital of the UK (Lochaber Chamber of Commerce), said: “VisitScotland, LEADER and a huge number of local businesses have given us the opportunity to put together a digital campaign that will reach millions of people and share with them the stories of Lochaber, inspiring them to join us in the Outdoor Capital of the UK for a wee adventure and to add to our tales by using #myoutdoorcapital."
Growth Fund applicants are required to align their marketing with VisitScotland’s strategies and campaigns, including the global Spirit of Scotland campaign. They are also encouraged to think about how they can take advantage of Scotland’s Themed Years, with 2017 being named the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.
To find out more about the VisitScotland Growth Fund, go to www.visitscotland.org/growthfund
To learn more about the Outdoor Capital of the UK, go to www.outdoorcapital.co.uk
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’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.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP.
- The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority for the European Structural Funds 2014-20 Programme. For further information visit www.gov.scot or follow @scotgovESIF
- 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
- 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology
- 2017 is the year to delve into the past and discover Scotland’s fascinating stories through a wide-ranging variety of new and existing activity to drive the nation’s tourism and events sector, boosting tourism across Scotland.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology begins on 1 January 2017 and will end on 31 December 2017. It will build on the momentum generated by previous themed years in Scotland including the 2015 Year of Food and Drink, Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Creative Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Built Environment Forum Scotland, Heritage Lottery Fund, Museums Galleries Scotland and Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is supported by £570,000 of Scottish Government funding.
- The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
- For more information visit visitscotland.com/HHA2017 or join the conversation at #HHA2017
