National event shines a light on digital tourism

Some of the world’s best online booking and distribution systems were all under one roof yesterday (Wednesday 6th November) as part of VisitScotland’s first ever national digital tourism event aimed at the experience sector.

The event began with a welcome and introduction from VisitScotland’s Chief Executive Malcolm Roughead and Chief Executive Officer for the Blackwatch Castle & Museum Anne Kinnes. This included Malcolm and Anne “going digital” by taking a selfie with the audience in the backdrop lighting up the room with the torches on their phones.

Delegates got to hear from Alison McLaughlin, Deputy Director for Digital Transformation at the Scottish Government, who talked about their work to support businesses in growing through digital. They then heard from VisitScotland’s Director of Marketing & Digital Vicki Millerabout how experiences can shape how we inspire and convert our visitors to choose Scotland.

This was followed by two breakout sessions where delegates could choose to attend seminars from from international booking and distribution systems such as GetYourGuide, TripAdvisor Experiences and Tiqets. They also heard from Scottish tourism businesses who had successfully implemented the skills and platforms to grow their businesses.

The global experiences market is estimated to be worth $150 billion this year rising to $183 billion next year. 90% of travellers research their holidays online with 80% booking online.

Scotland’s rich offering in terms of unique visitor attractions, tours and activities is the backbone of the industry, inspiring visitors from around the globe to visit Scotland however many such businesses struggle to be found online and are in danger of falling behind. Wednesday’s sell-out conference was designed specifically for these businesses, introducing them to the partners and the tools to help raise their profile across the world wide web.    

“Digital channels play a huge role in the visitor experience and having a firm grasp of new technology and being able to use it to its full potential is such a powerful way to save precious time, increase efficiency and, all importantly, grow revenue.”

For more information about Digital Tourism and the work VisitScotland does to support businesses, go to www.visitscotland.org.