Press release -
Chipping in!
Scotland, the host nation of The 2014 Ryder Cup is continuing to capitalise on hosting one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
After stunning images of Perthshire’s outstanding golfing product were beamed worldwide to a television audience of over half a billion homes in September, VisitScotland has chipped in over £15,000 to a group of Perthshire golf businesses to help build on the worldwide exposure of The Ryder Cup.
Golf Perthshire, a group of more than 40 clubs and accommodation venues, is using the money from the VisitScotland Growth Fund to market its special packages to golf fans in the UK, as well as in key golfing markets like Sweden and Germany.
Golf tourism is estimated to be worth around £12.8 million to the area and this brand new marketing campaign aims to improve on this by attracting an extra 1500 golfers and increasing the average spend to £200 per person throughout the campaign.
Targeting increased overnight stays and additional rounds in Perthshire, the £31k year-long campaign which began at the start of September 2014, is match funded by the VisitScotland Growth Fund, along with Golf Perthshire and Perth and Kinross Council.
The majority of activities will direct visitors to the new Golf Perthshire website (http://www.golfperthshire.com/) which features information on where to play, where to stay, packages and golf passes.
In addition, the campaign will target increased engagement with golf travel trade via improved communications and attendance at relevant golf trade shows.
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland said:
“As we look back and reflect on the hugely successful Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, we are now looking to the future and the legacy that comes with hosting one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
From its majestic glens to its championship golf courses and ancient forests, there’s no denying that Perthshire, and indeed Scotland, delivered an incredible week of golf on the world stage.
With more than 250,000 spectators and a global television reach of more than half a billion homes, we need to convert these new Scotland fans into visitors and returning visitors to the country. We must grab this unique opportunity with both hands to increase awareness and drive potential visitors to come stay, play and enjoy Scotland, The Home of Golf.
Allan Minto, Golf Project Manager at Golf Perthshire said:
“Perthshire is a golfing area with huge untapped potential. Having just staged the massively successful 2014 Ryder Cup, people are really starting to sit up and take notice of Perthshire, which is home to some of the oldest and most prestigious golf courses in Scotland.
With over 20 courses to choose from, this funding will really help us kick on with this exciting marketing campaign and continue to sell the whole of Perthshire to key golfing markets throughout the UK and abroad.”
Councillor Ian Miller, Leader of Perth & Kinross Council, said:
“The 2014 Ryder Cup was an extraordinary opportunity to show the world just what a fantastic golfing experience Perthshire offers.
The quality of our golf courses and the stunning beauty of our countryside are fresh in the minds of a huge number of people around the world, and this international marketing campaign will see golf in Perthshire promoted even further to thousands of potential new and repeat visitors.
Tourism is a very valued industry in Perthshire and this campaign is sure to have a positive and lasting impact.”
ENDS
For further information contact:
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Jack Gorman Corporate Press Officer Tel: 0131 472 2283 Out of hours media enquiries: 07699 766986 |
KEY FACTS:
- Golf tourism is worth £220m to Scotland annually and supports 4,400 jobs. Scotland attracts 220,000 golf visitors to Scotland every year while 92,000 other visitors play golf whilst on holiday
- VisitScotland has developed a worldwide two million pound marketing campaign which will reinforce Scotland’s position as the Home of Golf.
- It is estimated that 5000 people have been employed on projects directly related to The Ryder Cup 2014 event with many more benefitting through the supply chain
- It is estimated that the stunning images being beamed out across the world showcasing Scotland are the equivalent of £40m in direct marketing benefit
- The 2014 Ryder Cup is already leaving a legacy benefit to Scotland in the ClubGolf junior golf initiative, which was a commitment made by Scotland as part of the 2001 bid. Over 350,000 schoolchildren have been introduced to golf through the ClubGolf scheme since 2003.
- A number of players now in the Scottish Golf Union Elite squads are graduates of the ClubGolf scheme.
- The 2010 Ryder Cup survey on money spent on local travel, on-site and off-site spend, extension to a visitor’s stay and associated additional spend concluded £82.4 million Total Direct Economic Impact for Wales.
- A full independent evaluation will be carried out by the Sports Industry Research Centre (SIRC) at Sheffield Hallam University. It is due to report in spring 2015.
- Between 2011 and 2013, VisitScotland Growth Fund awarded over £1 million in match-funding to national, regional and sectoral tourism groups, resulting in £2.3m being invested in marketing campaigns, involving more than 2,000 tourism businesses across Scotland.
- For more information on the VisitScotland Growth Fund please see - http://www.visitscotland.org/business_support/marketing_opportunities/growth_fund.aspx
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- growth fund
- ryder cup
- 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 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 800 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
