Media Responses

VisitScotland’s response to the DFDS Seaways announcement on changes to Scotland to Belgium ferry service:
VisitScotland’s Head of International Marketing Denise Hill said: “This is very disappointing news for Scottish tourism and for travellers from our key European markets.  We have worked closely with Norfolkline since before the commencement of the Rosyth service in order to support their marketing efforts across Western Europe. Attracting year round business is critical to the sustainability of our direct access network as well as to the Scottish tourism industry as a whole, and our marketing support aimed to highlight reasons to travel in the shoulder as well as the peak seasons."

“VisitScotland has supported the marketing of the service through an extensive programme of consumer and travel trade marketing in Europe which has signposted the route. Norfolkline will have benefitted from broader campaigns with a total value of £3 million across the period of collaboration, which included specific partnership funded campaigns to a value of around £350,000 highlighting the route in isolation.”

“Attracting year round business is critical to the sustainability of our direct access network as well as to the Scottish tourism industry as a whole and our marketing support aimed to highlight reasons to travel in the shoulder as well as the peak seasons.  This activity included inclusion of the route in our £1.25 million ‘Meet the Scots’ campaign launched in Spring 2010, which has generated visits to VisitScotland's European language websites well in excess of target, and highlights our Seasonal Calendar, designed to promote reasons to visit Scotland in every month of the year. Activity also included specific seasonal pushes with Norfolkline to drive passengers in the critical shoulder seasons.”

“Promotion of the route will continue, with VisitScotland working closely with new operator, DFDS Seaways to increase levels of shoulder season travellers for the duration of the service.”

“VisitScotland’s extensive work with carriers to strengthen and sustain Scotland's route network and access for international visitors continues. Despite the global economic downturn airlines continue to launch new flights into Scotland, recognising the strong growth in European visitors over the last 10 years including the recent launches of Spanair's Madrid-Edinburgh and Vueling’s Barcelona-Edinburgh service and the announcement of a new easyJet flight from Cologne/Bonn to Edinburgh. For those Europeans who prefer to travel by car and ferry, VisitScotland continues to work with additional ferry operators including DFDS Iijmuiden to Newcastle and P&O Rotterdam and Zeebrugge to Hull to promote access to Scotland particularly via the North Sea routes.”