Press release -
Weave your own island story
Iconic attractions and features of the Outer Hebrides shown on a traditional weaver’s loom are included in a new online film as part of a VisitScotland regional marketing campaign promoting the islands to visitors.
As the loom is filmed from different angles, images of the Isle of Harris Distillery and the Hebridean Celtic Festival in Stornoway are amongst those projected onto the surface of the textile.
These islands have long been celebrated for their breathtaking beaches, stunning landscapes and strong outdoor and wildlife links and the new video produced by the national tourism organisation takes the viewer on a journey through the islands from Barra to Lewis, where a weaver gives life to the Outer Hebrides’ story as the process of weaving is layered with stunning videos and images of the islands.
The films – a 90 second and shorter 30 second version - are part of a major VisitScotland regional marketing campaign promoting the Outer Hebrides through digital media channels, including Facebook and Instagram, and encouraging people to ‘Weave the Way’ through these islands this spring.
Activities featured in the films include sea kayaking, surfing, wildlife and bird watching and locations include:
- Tràigh Mhòr, Isle of Barra
- Little Bernera, Isle of Lewis
- Isle of South Uist
- Hebridean Celtic Festival, Stornoway
- The Harris Distillery, Isle of Harris
- Isles of Vatersay, Berneray, Mingulay and Barra
- Calanais Standing Stones, Isle of Lewis
- Butt of Lewis Lighthouse
- The Hebridean Way
The campaign follows the airing of a successful NBC TV programme The Edge of Scotland, promoting the Outer Hebrides and narrated by Alan Cumming. The show reached 2m weekly viewers and was being aired on STV.
VisitScotland is also working with an influential blogger who will visit the Outer Hebrides next month and focus on outdoor activities such as cycling, hillwalking, kayaking and wild camping.
Alan MacKenzie, VisitScotland Islands Manager, said: “This latest online film builds on the success of VisitScotland’s Spirit of Scotland global campaign and #ScotSpirit social movement which aims to raise the profile and reputation of the islands as outstanding places to visit, and to invest, live and work in.
“What better way to show off the best of what the Outer Hebrides has to offer than in an online film like this? This is an additional asset for VisitScotland to promote the islands and their beauty to visitors at home and further afield. It brings to life what visitors can experience on a trip to the islands and we hope it will encourage people to share their own experience on our online iKnow community and entice others to discover the magic of the islands for themselves.”
Cllr Alasdair Macleod, Chair of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Sustainable Development Committee said: “The Comhairle welcomes this spring marketing campaign celebrating the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology. The Comhairle works closely with VisitScotland in supporting the tourism industry in the Outer Hebrides, and we look forward to having another successful season.
“The industry works well to make the best use of the natural and cultural assets the Islands have to offer; from the landscape and scenery to language and heritage, visitors will enjoy a unique experience in the Outer Hebrides.
“The newly-opened Lews Castle and Museum nan Eilean is another attraction which will make a significant contribution to the economy. The museum has already seen over 34,000 visitors since opening in July.
“Fantastic natural produce from land and sea, including the internationally recognised Stornoway black pudding, are among the many other ingredients that make the Western Isles a must-see destination.”
For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/outerhebrides
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- content marketing
- gaelic
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
