Who are VisitScotland’s key partners?
Key partners who work alongside and engage with VisitScotland to develop and promote tourism include: visitscotland.com, EventScotland, Pride & Passion, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, VisitBritain, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, other tourism agencies and also trade and professional associations.

What is visitscotland.com and are they a part of VisitScotland?
visitscotland.com is Scotland’s National Booking and Information Service.  Their website and contact centre facility is seen as the easiest route for consumers looking to buy Scottish tourism products such as short break packages, city breaks and so on.  This private public partnership company was set up by VisitScotland in 2002 to manage the website www.visitscotland.com and also the National Information & Booking Contact Centre.  VisitScotland’s other partners in this venture are eTourism Ltd, the company that runs visitscotland.com, and Tiscover.  VisitScotland currently owns 36% of visitscotland.com, who receive funding from both public and private sectors to the value of £7.5m.

VisitScotland has a close working relationship with the visitscotland.com team in Livingston, near Edinburgh: VisitScotland directs potential visitors to the website and the contact centre, promoting the site throughout its marketing activity.

What is VisitScotland’s relationship with VisitBritain?
VisitBritain has 27 offices and operates the British Visitor Centre in central London.  They work closely with the national tourist boards of Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales to promote an attractive image of Britain as a whole.

VisitScotland works with VisitBritain on overseas marketing initiatives and the two bodies share specialist knowledge and market intelligence in addition to providing support in certain areas of activity, including print production.

What is VisitScotland’s relationship with EventScotland?
EventScotland is a joint initiative VisitScotland has with the Scottish Executive.  It is designed to help develop and co-ordinate events, contributing to the dual aims of creating a must-visit destination and gaining economic growth for Scotland; central to the work of VisitScotland.  EventScotland is funded by a grant-in-aid through VisitScotland.

Does VisitScotland work with the film industry to develop tourism?
There is a growing trend which sees individuals visiting the sets of their favourite films and these people are referred to as ‘set-jetters’ by VisitScotland.  VisitScotland has been working closely with Sony Pictures, the production company behind the Da Vinci Code which was released in May 2006. Along with VisitBritain and French tourism agency Maison de la France,   Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian features in the novel and was a location for filming of the Hollywood movie.  VisitScotland formed a unique partnership with Sony Pictures, VisitBritain and French tourism agency Maison de la France to promote the locations in the Hollywood movie to film fans from around the world.

The theme of the Da Vinci Code film fits well with a broader motivating theme of Scotland as a land of mystery and legends and as such, it offers the opportunity not only to promote Midlothian, but sights and attractions all over Scotland.

To ensure that the benefits from the Da Vinci Code film and book were shared around Scotland, VisitScotland included the Da Vinci Code in three itineraries which formed part of the European Touring Campaign for 2006.  The campaign was launched in spring 2006 within key European markets. The film also features in the 2007 campaign as a result of it's continued appeal.

The partnership resulted in major profile for Scotland in 40 countries around the world – and netted over £10 million of publicity for the country. The promotion won a Gold Award from the Promotional Marketing Association of America. Additionally, a special economic study which was commissioned by VisitScotland, Scottish Screen and Scottish Enterprise in 1997, showed that direct spending by the makers of Rob Roy delivered £6.88m to the Scottish economy and a further £15m by visitors on tourism expenditure as a consequence of seeing Rob Roy or Braveheart.

In March 2007, VisitScotland once again entered into partnership Sony Pictures Entertainment. Following the successes of the initial partnership, the organisations will work together on the new family movie, The Water Horse, which will be released world-wide from the end of 2007.

Featuring a mythical monster, the movie will build on the existing world-wide interest in the myth of the Loch Ness monster, as well as giving VisitScotland an opportunity to promote the wealth of other myths and legends across Scotland. The movie was partly filmed in the Highlands and Argyll and is sure to draw ‘set jetters’ from around world.