Press release -

Discovering Moray Speyside's Gems

A number of the UK’s most important inbound tour operators visited Gordon Castle Walled Garden, Johnstons of Elgin and the Speyside Cooperage recently as part of a familiarisation (fam) trip to Moray Speyside.

From 26th to 28th November, the Discover Moray Speyside event showcased the region to around 30 inbound tour operators from across the UK. This was the first UKinbound Discover event ever to be held in the region. In addition to a b2b workshop, buyers enjoyed specially-tailored fam trips around the region as well as a number of networking opportunities, including a welcome reception at Johnstons of Elgin and a networking dinner at Elgin’s Mansefield Hotel.

The aim of the event, which was organised by VisitScotland, Moray Speyside Tourism, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and UKinbound, was to raise awareness of Moray Speyside as a destination to be included in tour programmes as well as offer an opportunity for international buyers to experience the region and meet suppliers who are keen to do business as well as driving internationalisation for these local businesses. With Inverness Airport less than 50 minutes’ drive away, the region can be quickly accessed by visitors.

The group stayed at the Mansefield Hotel in Elgin and the fam trips included visits to Boath House, Johnstons of Elgin, a guided walk of ‘Castle to Cathedral to Cashmere’, Gordon Castle and Walled Garden, Ballindalloch Castle and lunch at Delnasheugh, Glen Grant Distillery, Speyside Cooperage, The Craigellachie Hotel and The Station Hotel in Rothes. They also took part in a Discovery Workshop including one-to-one meetings and presentations and enjoyed a networking lunch.

Jo Robinson, VisitScotland Regional Director, said: “These very successful fam trips offered an ideal way to allow international tour operators to experience this fantastic and unique region and to meet with local businesses and suppliers who are keen to do business with them.

“It all helps to raise awareness of Moray Speyside as visitor destination in its own right with a strong and diverse tourism offering worthy of being included in tour operator programmes. This, in turn, creates additional business for the region.

“These businesses in Moray Speyside have really stepped up to the plate to help produce a fascinating and engaging programme for our visitors, showing they can compete with other popular visitor destinations not only in Scotland but across the UK.”

Laurie Piper, Operations Manager at Moray Speyside Tourism, said: "We were absolutely delighted to have secured this event for Moray Speyside. It is the first time ever that UKinbound have held a Discover event here and the opportunity afforded to the region's tourism businesses is significant.

“The value for the region is not only in terms of potential business, but also in the event's ability to raise Moray Speyside's profile as a world-class destination which offers visitors from across the globe a genuine taste of the very best of Scotland with some of the UK's most influential inbound tour operators.

“In common with much of Moray's Speyside Tourism's activities, the Discover Moray Speyside event is the result of strong and positive partnerships we have built with key stakeholders across and beyond the UK. This event really will make a difference to our tourism industry, and there's much more to come in 2018.”

Deirdre Wells, CEO of UKInbound, said: “UKinbound represents nearly 400 tourism businesses all across the UK. One of our key objectives is to help showcase fantastic tourism product to our tour operator members so they, in turn, can keep offering fresh and interesting itineraries to our international visitors.

“Scotland has so much to offer, from great food and drink, unique attractions and stunning countryside and this Discover event has been the perfect opportunity for our members to experience this first hand. We look forward to holding more events like this in Scotland in the coming months and years.”

Anna Miller, Head of Tourism at Highlands and Islands Enterprise, said: “Tourism is a vital sector for Moray Speyside and across the whole of the Highlands and Islands. To ensure that we build on the existing strengths of the sector we must continue to create new business connections and access to market opportunities.

“It is key that we showcase some of the region’s wonderful tourism offering and that’s what this familiarisation event is all about. I am very pleased we have been able to support the event and that it has been so well attended.”

Topics

  • Tourism

Categories

  • corporate communications
  • business events

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:
    1. 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
    2. 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
    3. 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
    4. Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
    5. 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
    6. Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
    7. 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

Contacts

Chelsea Charles

Press contact Scotland’s Themed Years Communications & Engagement Manager Contact for media enquiries on: Scotland’s Themed Years (i.e. 2018 Year of Young People; 2020 Year of Scotland's Coast and Waters; 2022 Year of Scotland's Stories) 0131 472 2067

Carrie MacWilliam

Press contact Senior Corporate Press Officer - National Contact for media enquiries on: Travel media (Scotland); Year of Young People; UK Marketing; Dundee; Fife; Angus; Perthshire 0131 472 2052

Amelia Whittaker

Press contact Senior Corporate Press Officer - Regional Contact for media enquiries on: South Region; Edinburgh and Lothians; Food and Drink; Scottish Thistle Awards 01750 723806