Navigating the New Normal

Club-style visitor products, community-focused breaks and personalisation could drive tourism in Scotland as the industry adapts to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new VisitScotland paper reveals on World Tourism Day (27 September).

The paper, by the national tourism organisation’s Insight department, examines the consumer landscape and the behaviour of visitors, derived from industry expert opinion, visitor surveys and international data.

Across Europe, domestic travel has led the recovery, with rail travel seeing a sharp rise driven by trips to rural destinations. In the UK, visiting friends and relatives, as opposed to “pure holiday trips”, boosted visits in the summer months with countryside locations fairing best.

The paper notes that many of the consumer behaviours we are witnessing already align with the objectives of the Scottish National Tourism Strategy, Scotland Outlook 2030, published in March, which contains a responsible tourism agenda.

It adds: <em>“For Scotland there is now an opportunity to become a highly desirable and sustainable destination. We can reset tourism in our own image meeting responsible tourism goals which align with those of the consumer.”</em>

The paper concludes on the new normal:

• Slow tourism will increase in popularity in the short term, whereby “we will see less travel but travelling better”.
• Personalised and bespoke products will drive innovation and adaptation in the sector.
• Premium brands will promote high standards of health, safety, ethics & customer service whereas smaller providers can project the warmth of human-ness through intimate “club” style product offerings.
• Transformational tourism and supporting the economy, consumers will “travel with purpose”, demonstrating community support through volunteering, rewilding, localism, restorative immersion through spirit-lifting experiences.

Navigating the New Normal – Post-COVID19 Tourism Consumer Trends can be found here

For more on World Tourism Day go here

ENDS