Press release -
VisitScotland aims for blockbuster bookings
From zombies and boy wizards to royals and time-travelling nurses, a group of tour operators from Russia, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, the United States, Ireland and the UK will be treated to a special film and fiction tour of Scotland as part of the country’s biggest travel trade show - VisitScotland expo 2015.
On the tour, the 10 delegates will visit Glencoe which stole the show in James Bond’s Skyfall, Glen Nevis which featured in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and the city of Glasgow which served as the backdrop for zombie apocalypse World War Z, The Angels’ Share and Cloud Atlas.
The three day tour will also stop off at Dunnottar Castle which inspired the makers of Disney Pixar’s Brave and Loch Ness, which starred in the hit TV series, Outlander.
In order to capitalise on the popularity of Outlander in Germany, a separate German-guided fam trip is set to take in a number of locations which featured in the TV series and books, these include: Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, Beauly Priory and Culross.
VisitScotland expo takes place on 22-23 April 2015 in Aberdeen. To make the most of the hundreds of national and international buyers in attendance, VisitScotland has organised a series of familiarisation (fam) trips in order to inspire tour operators from around the world to create new or expand existing Scottish holiday packages.
With research showing that 40 per cent of visitors to the UK are inspired to come here after seeing it on film or on television, film tourism provides a real opportunity for Scotland.
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said:
“It’s absolutely essential that we fuel the imagination of our overseas tour operators each year, giving them lots of inspiration for how they can package up Scotland for their customers. From connections with big-budget Hollywood movies like Harry Potter and James Bond, to classic works of fiction like Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes, some of the world’s most recognised films and books have direct ties to Scotland, and we’re using this to our advantage.
“This year’s expo, in the wonderful city of Aberdeen, will welcome almost 580 international and UK based buyers, and as we continue to take Scotland to the world, our wide range of familiarisation trips will encourage even more people to visit our beautiful country.”
Scott Taylor, Chief Executive of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said:
“VisitScotland expo provides a real opportunity for businesses in the city to strengthen Glasgow’s reputation as a world-class destination with a distinct and varied tourism product among a key audience of tour operators and buyers from across a multitude of international and domestic markets. We need to capitalise on the interest that we know exists in Glasgow and ensure that the unforgettable experience of 2014 encourages visitors from across the world to return time and again. VisitScotland expo is the perfect platform from which to do so.
“The film and broadcast industry is hugely important to Glasgow and the economic boost from the sector has been clear for some time. The city, through the valuable work of the Glasgow Film Office, has provided a spectacular backdrop to a host of award-winning British films and large scale international productions, which have generated nearly £250 million over the past 15 years. We look forward to welcoming tour operators from across the world to Scotland’s cinema city.”
More than £24 million worth of business is likely to be conducted over the two days of VisitScotland expo, which takes place at Aberdeen’s AECC on 22-23 April 2015. Scotland will be promoted by over 200 businesses from across the country with a Scottish tourism product to highlight. Of the 200, at least 32 businesses from across Scotland will be exhibiting for the very first time.
Last year’s event in Glasgow saw over 6,700 appointments and a recent study conducted in 2012 found that hosting expo could be worth around £1.7 million for the local economy. It is hoped that hosting this year’s expo in the Granite City will provide the same economic boost.
Aberdeenshire Council and VisitAberdeen are official destination partners at this year’s VisitScotland expo. The partnership with VisitScotland will offer both Aberdeenshire Council and VisitAberdeen stand space and marketing opportunities to further promote Aberdeen City and Shire to tourism businesses.
Buyer registration for VisitScotland expo 2015 is open until the show commences and buyers can register here: http://www.visitscotlandexpo.com/login/
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
- visitscotland expo
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
