Press release -
Nip n’ chip
The growing importance of two of Scotland’s biggest global icons – whisky and golf – to the country’s tourism industry has been highlighted at The 2014 Ryder Cup.
Diageo, the world’s leading premium drinks business, has reported a record year for its 12 distillery visitor centres, with 326,372 people flocking to the attractions between June 2013 and June 2014 – a 14 per cent increase on the previous 12-month period.
Since 2008, when there were 176,471 visits, the numbers have increased by 85 per cent.
Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, was at Diageo’s Johnnie Walker Experience at Gleneagles today (Wednesday 24 September) to toast the growing popularity of whisky tourism and its strong ties with golf.
He said: “As Scotland’s national drink, whisky is one of our most iconic offerings, as well as one of our most valuable exports. Like golf, its appeal draws visitors from across the world, as these impressive figures from Diageo’s visitor centres clearly demonstrate. The 2014 Ryder Cup is one of the biggest sporting events ever held in Scotland, and is therefore the perfect stage to raise a glass to the growing popularity of whisky tourism.
“Next year is the Year of Food and Drink, a celebration of Scotland’s natural larder and the role it plays in shaping our economic success. I look forward to seeing even more Scots and visitors to Scotland experiencing our country’s exciting and diverse culinary experiences, further enhancing Scotland’s reputation as a Land of Food and Drink.”
Peter Lederer, Director of Diageo in Scotland and Chairman of Gleneagles Hotel, said the growing popularity of Scotch whisky combined with the high quality of visitor experience offered at the distilleries were the key factors in their increasing success. He said: “Of all the great gifts that Scotland has given to the world, whisky and golf are two of the greatest.
“It’s fantastic that we’ve seen another year of fantastic growth in the number of visitors our distilleries are attracting and with the Ryder Cup we can see that golf is having the same effect.
“The impact of whisky and golf tourism on the economy of Scotland is fantastic, with many of our visitors spending time and money in the communities around our distilleries and golf courses across Scotland.
“Scotch whisky is experiencing remarkable success around the world, with people in over 180 countries enjoying the leading brands we produce here in Scotland. That growth is still strong in countries in Asia and Latin America and we are now starting to see a knock-on growth in the tourism we are seeing from these markets.
“People in countries like China and Brazil are attracted to Scotch because of its reputation for provenance, heritage and authenticity. Scotch is the best advert possible for Scotland and customers who enjoy our whisky brands are increasingly attracted to visit the home of Scotch.
“I believe that Ryder Cup is generating a similar tourism impact and legacy for Scotland.”
For further information contact:
Tom Maxwell
Corporate Press Officer
Tel: 0131 472 2409
tom.maxwell@visitscotland.com
Out of hours media enquiries: 07699 766986
Ian Smith
Head of Corporate Relations, Scotland
Diageo
07736 786 888
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- ryder cup
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 970 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