Scottish tourism businesses on a mission!

Around 35 Scottish tourism businesses attended the North America Business Development Mission (BDM) in London, to help support the continued growth of international visitors to Scotland.

The one day appointment-based workshop, followed by an evening networking reception at Scotland House, was designed to facilitate face-to-face meetings between Scottish tourism suppliers and international tour operators from the North American market.  

Organised by VisitScotland, the event, sponsored by VisitAberdeenshire was also attended by the National Trust for Scotland, as well as a variety of Scottish restaurants, attractions and accommodation providers, including Contini Restaurants in Edinburgh, the Chester Hotel in Aberdeen, Eden Mill Distillery in Fife, Glasgow Museums, Scone Palace in Perthshire and Lochcarron of Scotland in the Scottish Borders.

The North American market is hugely important to Scottish tourism businesses. In 2022, the US was once again Scotland’s largest international source market measured by number of visits, nights and spend. Canada was Scotland’s sixth largest international source market measured by number of visits and third by expenditure and number of nights.

US visitors accounted for 21% of all overseas trips to Scotland in 2022 and 38% of all overseas spend here. Canadian visitors accounted for 4% of all overseas visits to Scotland and 6% of all overseas spend here.

The BDM provided a platform to support Scottish tourism businesses to increase their presence to a wider customer base internationally, learn more about the North American market and how to work with travel trade, with the aim of establishing new business relationships.

Each supplier had an opportunity to present their unique product offerings and services to a selection of North American tour operators that VisitScotland works closely with and who were looking to develop new and/or extend existing programmes in Scotland, with a focus on aligning to our responsible tourism objectives.

The 35 Scottish tourism suppliers and 26 North American buyers included tour operators organising both group and individual / small tours, destination management companies, wholesalers and online platforms, all of which are an integral part of the North American distribution system. A total of around 550 appointments were held during the event.

Gwen Raez, Senior Market Development Manager (Global) at VisitScotland, said: “This exciting event aimed to connect North American tour operators looking to extend their programmes with tourism businesses in Scotland that are offering what the US and Canadian visitor is looking for. We carefully matched the appointments, so hopefully we will see even more North American visitors enjoying these experiences and accommodation in the near future. Initial feedback from tour operators has been that they are delighted with the tourism product we were sharing with them.”

Anthony Callery, Director of Hotel Operations at Tourwise of London, said: “After attending VisitScotland’s North American Business Development Mission, I left energised and excited by the levels of innovation, imagination and passion in the room. Despite the popularity of Scotland as a destination, it is clear that this is not taken for granted. After a busy day of back-to-back, quality appointments, I left looking forward to working on new and exciting projects for our North American clients. Scotland as a destination continues to evolve and the future is brighter than ever.”

Jacqué Gabellone, Director of Operations at Tenon Tours, said: “Attending the business development mission was a fantastic experience. The event provided a platform to foster valuable connections and insights that are crucial for business growth. I am grateful for the opportunity and look forward to leveraging these new relationships for mutual success.”

Raeanne Verlegh, Travel Trade & Hospitality Business Development Manager for the National Trust for Scotland, said: “The importance of the North American market to our travel trade operations cannot be overstated, and in turn, their visits to our properties help protect Scotland’s heritage for generations to come.

“The event was a fantastic opportunity to highlight some of our unique experiences, which have been developed with international audiences in mind, from our well-known sites, such as Culloden Battlefield, to our hidden gems, such as Greenbank Garden and Weaver’s Cottage. Meeting the clients face to face helps us to develop strong relationships, and we look forward to working with everyone we met with.”

Isabel Foy, Tourism and Travel Trade at V&A Dundee, said: “This was the first time V&A Dundee attended VisitScotland’s North America Business Development Mission. It was a fantastic opportunity to meet with old and new tour operator partners and to learn more about their tour product requirements for 2024 and beyond.”

Millie Clarke, Head of Tourism Development at VisitAberdeenshire, said: “VisitAberdeenshire has worked hard to build relationships with key buyers that serve the group and Free Independent Travellers (FIT) markets. The VisitScotland North American Business Development Misson was the ideal opportunity to highlight the strength and depth of bookable products and experiences in the North-east of Scotland.”

For more information about working with the travel trade, go to visitscotland.org How to work with the Travel Trade | VisitScotland.org

ENDS

Participating Scottish tourism businesses:
Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum, Dunfermline; Ardoe House Hotel & Spa, Aberdeen; Buccleuch Estates, Dumfries and Galloway; Caledonian Sleeper Train, Scotland; Chester Hotel, Aberdeen; Contini Restaurants and Events, Edinburgh; Continuum Attractions (Loch Ness Centre & Mary King’s Close) Scotland; Crerar Hotels, Scotland; Dornoch Station Hotel (Marine & Lawn Hotels), North Highlands; Eden Mill Distillery, Fife; Glasgow Life Museums, Glasgow; High Life Highland (Inverness Castle), Inverness; Ian Macleod Distillers (Edinburgh Gin Distillery and Rosebank Distillery), City of Edinburgh; Islander Edinburgh, Edinburgh; Lochcarron of Scotland, Scottish Borders; Luxe Scot, Scotland; Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, Scotland; National Wallace Monument, Stirling; Old Leckie Farm, Stirling; Peel Farm, Perthshire; Perth Museum, Perth; Schloss Roxburghe, Scottish Borders; Scone Palace, Perthshire; ScotRail Trains, Scotland; Seafield Arms Hotel, Cullen, Moray Speyside; Stirling Distillery, Stirling; The Haggis Experience, Loch Lomond; The National Trust for Scotland, Scotland; The Old Manse of Blair, Perthshire; Traquair House, Scottish Borders; V&A Dundee, Dundee; Visit Inverness Loch Ness, Highlands; VisitAberdeenshire, Aberdeenshire (key sponsor); Wild About Argyll / Argyll & The Isles Tourism Co-operative, Argyll & Bute; Wilson’s Farm & Kitchen, Scottish Borders.