National exposure for golf in Dumfries &
Galloway
Dumfries & Galloway has joined with four other regions in
Scotland to sell local golfing experiences to a broader market via
a national partnership brokered between VisitScotland and drinks
giants Belhaven and Highland Brewing.
As part of the Perfect Day campaign that specifically targets
the UK & Ireland market and is part-funded by Dumfries &
Galloway Council, the region is working alongside the Scottish
Borders, Ayrshire & Arran, Aberdeenshire and Perthshire in the
joint marketing activity. The golf marketing activity promotes
regions that offer a strong golfing product to a national audience,
capitalising on investment from all areas which ultimately means
each region's marketing budget goes further, bringing additional
increased exposure.
Dumfries & Galloway's Gateway to Golf Pass offers various
options for 3 or 6 rounds over 5 days and is being promoted via the
website www.visitscotland.com/perfectgolfregions
and on posters, tent cards and beer mats in 400 Belhaven outlets
across Scotland and Northern England, 200 golf clubs, 200 bars and
81 Highland Brewing outlets. The campaign is designed to stimulate
new visits this Summer and put a particular emphasis on the
region's great value golf passport and golf brochure.
John Sawyer, Treasurer of Newton Stewart Golf Club, said:
"Dumfries and Galloway is the perfect golfing destination with a
variety of wonderful golf courses to suit differing tastes and
abilities, all of which are easily accessible, in particular from
Ireland and Northern England.
"The Gateway to Golf passes have proven to be an excellent
method of arranging golf on the many courses the area has to offer,
with benefits for both clubs and visitors. In particular, the
marketing power and expertise of VisitScotland is vitally important
to the majority of golf clubs operating on a limited advertising
budget."
Sandi Hellowell, regional director for VisitScotland, said:
"The campaign represents a great platform to raise awareness of
Dumfries & Galloway as a fantastic golf break destination,
increase Gateway to Golf pass sales and ultimately attract new and
repeat visitors to the area
"The Gateway to Golf Passport brought in nearly £560, 000 to the
local economy last year and sales for this year look promising. We
hope to capitalise on the staycation trend by increasing the
profile of our great value golf passport."
The campaign also includes extensive online media activity
within the likes of Bunkered, Scottish Golf Courses, Scottish Golf
Union and Golf Today and there are a series of online adverts
appearing beside golf related searches on eBay and search
engines. Media activity alone will reach 650,000
consumers.
The golf joint marketing activity is the latest activity in
VisitScotland's Perfect Day campaign that targets the domestic
market and helps position Dumfries & Galloway as a 'must visit,
must return' destination.
For further information please contact;
Sharon Makepeace
Corporate Press Officer,
VisitScotland
Tel: 07771 981 236/01387 245 564
Notes to Editors
- Regional marketing activity is funded by Dumfries &
Galloway Council and delivered by VisitScotland.
- VisitScotland is Scotland's national tourism organisation. Its
core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to
Scotland.
- The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract
visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and
potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to
Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to
the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to
exceed customer expectations
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make
tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to
grow.
- The organisation employs over 1,000 people and has offices and
tourist information centres across Scotland.
- Tourism employs 200,000 people in Scotland in 20,000 diverse
businesses. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to
Scotland. The industry generates over £4 billion revenue annually.
Tourism supports around 9 per cent of employment in Scotland
- For VisitScotland's press releases, tourism statistics and
frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.htm
- For holiday information on Scotland go to http://www.visitscotland.com/
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to
http://www.conventionscotland.com/
- For more information on VisitScotland's annual review please go
to http://www.visitscotlandannualreview.com/
