Press release -
Coorie in, an bide a while
Còsagach– an old Scottish word which describes the feeling of being snug, sheltered or cosy – has been identified by VisitScotland as a new trend for 2018, which could rival the Danish concept of Hygge.
Scotland is world renowned for its hospitality, most recently being voted Most Welcoming Country by Rough Guides readers, and now the national tourism organisation is encouraging businesses to create environments which “induce a feeling of warmth or cosiness” where visitors can relax and unwind.
Almost a quarter of visitors come to Scotland to get away from it all, whilst more than 4 million UK visitors mentioned relaxing as something they did when here.
Còsagach is just one of the trends identified by VisitScotland’s Insight Department, published here today (11 December), and comes off the back of a boom in the trend for Hygge, a Danish word described as a type of cosiness and comfort that engages a feeling of contentment or well-being.
Referring to Còsagach, the Trends paper reads: “With tranquil seascapes, vast open spaces and many warm and welcoming pubs, Scotland is a perfect place for your well-being.”
That feeling of well-being also forms the basis for another trend, “Wellness”, where visitors seek escapism from technology and their fast-paced lives in tourism-related activities, to recharge their mind and body.
“Elemental Tourism” identifies an opportunity for businesses to address the “balance of tourism provision” by collaborating to drive visitor traffic to tourism hotspots outside of the norm, while “Every Touch Point…” highlights the importance of a social media presence and businesses seeing themselves through the camera lens.
The 2018 trends represent elements of consumer and industry behaviour expected to develop over the next 18 to 24 months.
Designed to stimulate thought among Scottish tourism businesses, the paper also identifies a number of digital trends:
- Augmented Virtual Reality – From viewing hotel rooms, to digital reconstructions of medieval castles, technology is being utilised to enhance and support the tourism experience globally.
- Communi-gagement – Utilising social media platforms such as Snapchat, Periscope, as well as Facebook and Instagram Live, tourism businesses may have untapped resources to showcase their product.
- Challenging Fake News – Businesses are challenging consumers to prove the validity and integrity of their products.
- Retro-tainment – Providing nostalgic experiences to your consumers offer an innovative selling point to differentiate your business from competitors.
- Authenticity & Immersion – Tourism businesses should be aware of the opportunities to incorporate provincial and authentic experiences to enhance the overall tourism product.
Businesses are encouraged to identify which trends may appeal to their product and build on it.
Chris Greenwood, Senior Tourism Insight Manager at VisitScotland, said:
“In today’s rapidly changing world, having an informed outlook is vital.
“Tourism is more than a holiday experience. It is integral to sustaining communities across Scotland by generating income, creating jobs and stimulating social change – and is increasingly sensitive to consumer trends and economic conditions.
“Our annual trends review has highlighted key trends developing within the tourism sector for the coming year, with the intangible link between the visitor and landscape set to play a significant role.”
To view VisitScotland Trends 2018, go to: http://www.visitscotland.org/research_and_statistics/trends_and_insights.aspx
ENDS
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
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
- To ensure everyone can safely enjoy Scotland’s amazing countryside and landscapes, VisitScotland encourages all visitors to fully respect their surroundings by behaving in a responsible and appropriate way.
- 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) 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
