Press release -
ScotSpirit Breaks aim for another record year
Over 50 key players from across Scotland’s tourism industry met in Edinburgh to launch the 2018 ScotSpirit Breaks.
The event, held at the Hilton Carlton Hotel, saw businesses from as far as the Highlands join Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, VisitScotland and the Family Holiday Association, to celebrate the success of the breaks in 2017 and discuss how to make this year an even greater success.
The ScotSpirit Breaks, a nationwide project coordinated by the national tourism organisation and the Family Holiday Association, saw over 420 vulnerable and disadvantaged families across Scotland receive a vital break in their own country last year thanks to the outstanding generosity of the 88 partners across Scotland’s tourism industry, who donated accommodation, transport, meals and visitor attraction access. It is hoped that 2018, the Year of Young People, will build on this, bringing in more industry partners and giving even more families that fundamental break that will mean so much to them.
The image features Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive for VisitScotland (front left), John McDonald, Chief Executive of The Family Holiday Association (back right) and Fiona Hyslop (front right), along with two of the families that received a break in 2017.
Photographer: Graham Clark
To find out more about the ScotSpirit Breaks and how to get involved:
http://www.visitscotland.org/business_support/advice_materials/toolkits/sharing_the_spirit_of_scotland/generosity_of_spirit/more_about_the_campaign.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 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.
