Marketing Opportunities

Growth Fund

Marketing Scotland Together


About the Growth Fund

The VisitScotland Growth Fund is part funded by the European Union and is designed to support tourism groups throughout Scotland in marketing their products and services to maximum potential. The fund is open to national, regional and local groups to help them reach new target markets and increase visitor numbers.

Why should we apply?

When it comes to business, no one should do anything alone anymore. Working collaboratively as a group and working with VisitScotland means we can pack more punch when attracting visitors to Scotland, getting them to stay longer and getting them to spend more. We have designed the Growth Fund to be a straightforward process, and if you are successful, it will allow your group to maximise your marketing potential.

Key elements:

  • 50% funding contribution from grant scheme - minimum award £3,125 to maximum of £65,000
  • Up to 15% towards project management fees
  • Up to 25% used towards the first time purchase of VisitScotland products
  • Project period of up to 12 months
  • Supports new or additional marketing activity
  • A dedicated Growth Fund advisor who will provide support and guidance throughout the lifetime of your marketing project
  • Access to industry research, statistics and expertise

What can be supported:

Eligble for funding Ineligble for funding
  • Design and development of a
    website (up to a maximum of
    50% pf total project cost)
  • Marketing to local residents
    and visitors already in the area
  • Promotion of websites by E-
    marketing, Online Advertising
    and Search Engine Optimisation
  • Infrastructure projects
  • Purchase of VisitScotland
    products and services (First time
    purchases only, up to a
    maximum of 25% of total
    project cost)
  • Exhibition fixtures, eg stands,
    plasma screen 'fixed' capital
    equipment
  • Media advertising
  • Booking engine development
    other than that through
    VisitScotland.com
  • Trade events and exhibition
    attendance
  • Promotional material featuring
    a website with on-line booking
    facilities other than
    VisitScotland.com
  • Direct mail campaigns
  • Projects using match funding
    from EU sources
  • Monitoring and Evaulation of the project

  • Project Management / Consultancy
    costs to deliver marketing acitivties
    (up to a maximum of 10% of total project
    cost

  • Consumer research project

The application process

How to apply:

Click here - Initial Enquiry Form

Once you have completed the Initial Enquiry Form, you will be allocated an advisor who will take you through the application process step by step, providing support and guidance to enable you to develop an application.

The VisitScotland Growth Fund does not have a set application deadline. Instead it is an open application process which means you can submit your application to fit with the timescales of your marketing project.

We advise groups that will take around 40 days from the initial enquiry stage to submitting your final application.

For further information on the fund criteria and application process click on the links to the side.

We would like to remind interested groups that in order to apply they need to consist of a minimum of 3 tourism businesses with constitution and registered bank account.

For more information contact: growthfund@visitscotland.com

pdf Guidance Notes
PDF document 175kb

pdf Marketing Application Form
PDF document 229kb

Marketing Application Form
Word document 1.78mb

pdf Conditions of the fund
PDF document 18kb

pdf Case studies
PDF document 137kb

pdf Top Ten Tips
PDF document 12kb

pdf Growth Fund Criteria
PDF document 30kb