Leadership, tourism and seeking a new CEO

By Malcolm Roughead - Chief Executive of VisitScotland

Leadership means many different things to many different people.

It is, in essence, about providing vision and strategic direction.

But in my time as Chief Executive Officer at VisitScotland, it has always been more than that.

Like tourism itself, heading Scotland’s national tourism organisation requires collaboration and engagement, and, of course, the nation is your stakeholder.

This week we began the process for recruiting a new CEO.

It has been a huge honour to lead an organisation which contributes so much to the economic, social and environmental growth and well-being of Scotland.

I have always said that when you start at VisitScotland, it’s like opening the door to the Tardis – it’s far bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside.

For tourism reaches beyond hospitality and the holiday experience – transport, retail, active travel, wellbeing, net zero, the list goes on…

Responsible tourism, which is the basis of our national strategy, allows communities to flourish by creating jobs and improving wellbeing, making them more resilient to change.

And change is a word that our sector is familiar with.

Over my 14 years as CEO, there have been many changes.

Scotland’s position on the global tourism stage, for one.

You don’t have to look very far to find Scotland mentioned as a must-visit destination – be it by Rough Guides, National Geographic, Booking.com, Expedia or Condé Nast – and that’s even before we take account of the Outlander television phenomenon that has had such a massive effect on international travel from the USA, France and Germany.

And then there are our events, from Homecoming and Glasgow 2014 to the UCI Cycling World Championships, while not forgetting golf and Edinburgh Festivals.

With that success, like many other destinations across the world, there have been challenges. Not least the management of visitor numbers, ensuring that growth is distributed around the country and trips are taken over the course of a year.

Seasonal and regional spread of visitors is something we have been proactively tackling for years through our marketing and influence with travel operators.

This could only have been done through the expert skills and experience of our staff. Developing homegrown talent has been a focus of my time here, with our mentoring scheme, in-house training, and hugely successful graduate and modern apprentice programmes.

It’s fascinating to see the reaction of our graduates as we open their eyes to what tourism involves. It’s rewarding for them also, as they are not working with a product, per se, but something that is close to their hearts, because they live and breathe it.

How we engage with potential visitors has also changed due to the dynamic digital landscape, and we’re yet to see the full impact AI will have on tourism.

As Scottish tourism has evolved and grown so too has the bandwidth of my role.

At one time you could probably perform it quite functionally by being a specialist in one area. Now you need to be a generalist, but with a far greater in-depth knowledge of all topics.

But that is for the next CEO to consider as they look to the future.

A future of which I’m confident in our industry and our organisation.

To apply for the role, go to our recruitment section here.