Press release -
Outstanding adventures await
Adventure seekers are being urged to visit the Outer Hebrides as part of a new campaign supported by the national tourism organisation.
Outer Hebrides Tourism has been awarded £15,000 as part of the VisitScotland Growth Fund to help drive a new digital media movement. The group are creating a dynamic film that documents the best outdoor adventure experiences on the islands.
The campaign is encouraging young travellers to explore the area and discover the diverse activities on offer. It will focus on young explorers meeting island hosts who will show them their home’s amazing natural playground as well as giving an insight into island life.
Visitors can seek out the extraordinary through exciting activities on both land and sea, including, coasteering, abseiling, mountain biking, surfing, snorkelling and kayaking.
Raising the profile of the Outer Hebrides as an adventure destination is a key aim of the project and the recent completion of the Hebridean Way, a long distance walking and cycling trail along the length of the islands, has kick-started a new focus on outdoor sports.
Outer Hebrides Tourism hope to reach out to over one million people with the project’s video and other online content and boost the impact of the current OH! tourism campaign.
The announcement comes as Outer Hebrides Tourism held their annual general meetings to outline tourism strategies in Stornoway on Lewis and on Benbecula this week.
Rob McKinnon of Outer Hebrides Tourism, said: “The award from the VisitScotland Growth Fund offers us an exciting opportunity to show visitors the huge variety of adventures available to them throughout the Outer Hebrides and to encourage them to seek out the extraordinary on land and at sea.
“Tourism is a key growth sector for our islands so this gives us the chance to share our message with adventure sports enthusiasts across Scotland and beyond.”
Riddell Graham, Director of Industry and Destination Development at VisitScotland, said: “Whether you want to get an adrenaline kick along the Hebridean Way or delve into the islands’ fascinating past at the Calanais Stones - the Outer Hebrides has something for everyone.
“Our research shows that the warm Scottish welcome is a huge draw for tourists so it is exciting to see this new campaign taking advantage of that and featuring people from the Outer Hebrides in their film.
“It is great to see that the national Year of Young People 2018 will be celebrated with a focus on young travellers and islanders. Partnership and collaboration are at the heart of Scottish tourism and we are delighted to support Outer Hebrides Tourism’s dynamic new campaign.”
For more information on Outer Hebrides Tourism go to: www.visitouterhebrides.co.uk
To find out more about the VisitScotland Growth Fund, go to www.visitscotland.org/growthfund
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- growth fund
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 five overarching strategies: Marketing, Events, Quality and Sustainability, Inclusive Tourism, International Engagement.
- 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
- 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
2018 Year of Young People
- The Year of Young People 2018 will be the next of the Scottish Government’s series of themed years, following the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017.
- The Year of Young People (YoYP 2018) will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally
- Central to YoYP 2018 will be a celebratory events programme that puts young people at the heart of its development and delivery, creating new and valuable experiences for young Scots and the wider public, with links to the inaugural 2018 European Championships.
- Over 200 young people throughout Scotland are currently being recruited to become YoYP 2018 Ambassadors. Ambassadors will ensure that people and organisations in their communities know about what’s happening and will lead on projects and activities to create events and opportunities to celebrate young people.
- The Year of Young People will have six themes which were developed in co-production with young people themselves:
- oParticipation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
- oEducation – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
- oHealth and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
- oEquality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
- oEnterprise and regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live
- oCulture – celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
- Further information on what’s happening and how people can get involved can be found on the new website www.yoyp2018.scot or @YOYP2018 on Twitter.
