Tourism organisations share in £3 million marketing fund

Tourism organisations across Scotland are set to receive a share of £3 million to promote responsible and sustainable staycations from this autumn through to early spring 2022, VisitScotland has announced.  The Destination and Sector Marketing Fund, administered by the national tourism organisation as part of the recovery programme on behalf of the Scottish Government, has confirmed awards for all three tiers of the fund. 

Scotland’s seven cities will receive between £70k and £90k under Tier 1, 36 successful regional destination organisations and pan-Scotland sector groups will secure between £40k and £60k under Tier 2 and 30 local destination organisations, marketing groups and non-pan-Scotland sector groups have been awarded between £10k and £18k under Tier 3. 

The funding will help to develop strong collaborative visitor campaigns that will position Scotland as a year-round destination for the UK and Irish market, whilst aligning with post-Covid consumer trends such as workcations, voluntourism and wellness. 

The fund opened for applications on 1 June and was split into three tiers, focusing on city, regional and national tourism groups. 

Successful applications needed to ensure that responsible tourism principals were at the heart of their applications, reflecting the importance of working with communities to rebuild local visitor economies and a sustainable recovery.  

The Destination and Sector Marketing Fund is part of the Scottish Government’s £25 million investment in the tourism sector and will help deliver the post-Covid recovery programme developed by the Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group (STERG) and the Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force. 

“This fund will help to promote Scotland’s diverse destinations and the many opportunities on offer, to our closest markets, and is part of demonstrating our commitment – backed by £25 million investment – to help the tourism sector get firmly back on its feet and work together to deliver a sustainable recovery.” 

“The allocation of these funds will support the development and promotion of year-round visitor experiences, both sustainably and responsibly, in our cities and regions.    

“Due to the huge volume of applications, we made the decision to re-evaluate the maximum award per tier to enable us to increase the number of successful applicants, extending the marketing support to even more destinations. Even so, sadly not all applicants were successful. 

“VisitScotland is focused on the recovery of the industry, building a destination and visitor experience which allows tourism and events to flourish now and in the future. We’ll continue to work with, and support, businesses to ensure we rebuild this vital part of Scotland’s economy.” 

STERG consists of VisitScotland; COSLA; Scottish Enterprise; South of Scotland Enterprise; Highlands and Islands Enterprise; Skills Development Scotland; Scottish Tourism Alliance; and the Scottish Government. 

ENDS 

For more on the VisitScotland Destination & Sector Marketing Fund go to https://www.visitscotland.org/supporting-your-business/funding/destination-sector-marketing-fund