Our Strategic Framework

We inspire life-long love affairs with Scotland, building a responsible destination brand

We develop a rich understanding of:

• key markets and traveller segments
• visitors to Scotland
• those who engage through our multiple touchpoints

This is to support the creation of relevant, compelling, and effective activities.

We build long-term relationships with current and potential visitors. By extension, we influence investors, students, and migrants. Thusly, we actively manage the lifetime worth to the country of these aforementioned groups.

We build a global brand whose attributes will:

• increase awareness and propensity with target audiences
• grow our long-term, global reputation

We put responsible tourism and climate change at the heart of all our marketing activity. This is to ensure that communities and visitors can build strong and harmonious relationships.

We harness our paid, earned, and owned channels. We work with partners to grow the contribution of the visitor economy to the overall Scottish economy.

We work with regional organisations and sector partners to promote a breadth of visitor experiences. This stimulates regional and seasonal spread of visitor spend.

We mobilise information and advice to:

• support a safe visitor experience
• encourage visitors to spend more time and money across Scotland

We deliver unique and memorable sporting, cultural and business events. These showcase our talents and enhance our global reputation as the perfect stage.

Together, we build a responsible, quality product. We invest in Scotland’s tourism and events communities

We support the industry to deliver the aspirations and objectives of “Outlook 2030”.

We engage with communities to rebuild tourism in a responsible and inclusive way. This ensures that the infrastructure and welcome reflects and supports issues around:

• over-demand
• visitor management
• Scotland’s target of net zero by 2045

We draw together enterprise investment. This will let destinations, product owners, and sector specialists invest in internationalisation.

We raise the profile of tourism and events as a force for economic and social good.

We lead industry efforts to create a quality, end-to-end, measurable customer experience. This will attract visitors who are both responsible and high value.

We work with industry partners to spread the economic and social benefits of tourism and events across the whole of Scotland. This will be in line with capacity.

We provide information, at the point of need, through our iCentres and digital assets.

We provide leadership and support to the industry in key strategic areas:

• insight
• customer experience
• distribution
• events
• marketing
• digital

We support industry upskilling and digital adoption.

We use research and analysis to build a robust picture of tourism performance and prospects in Scotland. This makes us get a thorough understanding of responsible tourism indicators and issues.

We use intelligence, tools and technology in facilitating collaboration and embracing change. This is in support of a fairer, more responsible, and inclusive visitor economy

We collaborate and empower industry innovators to bring technology and new ideas to market. This will enhance people’s real-life experiences

We digitally enable the tourism and events industry.

We provide the intelligence and insight that enables strategic decision making.

We provide tools, platforms, and talent that empower the following to market and sell their own product:

• Destination Management Organisations
• local authorities
• event organisers
• sector specialists

We collaborate with destinations and key industry partners to develop low carbon products. These will dynamically evolve our offer. This will underpin our responsible ambitions towards Scotland’s target of net zero by 2045.

We work closer with industry groups to develop new and innovative approaches and solutions for the tourism and events sector. This is to adapt to the evolution of our sectors.

We deliver a comprehensive data and insight resource. This supports the responsible tourism ambitions and strategies. It empowers the industry and government as well to make data-driven decisions on strategy, policy, and investment.

We share relevant, rich insight. This supports businesses, partners, and stakeholders in their strategic and business planning.

Invest in technology that makes people’s real life visitor experiences better

We don’t believe that technology will ever replace the physical experiences we have . Nor do we believe it will ever replace the relationships we build when visiting Scotland.

But we do believe that the right technology will help visitors:

• find, and share the experiences that they love
• spend more time with the people they meet

This, in turn, enhances our reputation as a world-class organisation and destination of choice.

To enable that to happen, we need to ensure that our own people have access to technology. This technology will allow them to work smarter, gather, interrogate, and interpret data and information.

This will lead to a greater understanding and fulfilment of our visitor, partner, and internal stakeholder needs.

Protect our natural environment

We pledge to combat climate change and support Scotland’s aspirations to be net zero by 2045. We plan to do so by:

• resetting tourism in a responsible way
• working hand-in-hand with communities, tourism businesses, and visitors.

This is to ensure that tourism enriches our communities and our environment.

Our ambition is to be a Net Zero Organisation by 2030.

Find out more in our responsible tourism section.

Flexible, specialist, and passionate people who embrace change

The specialist skill-sets required to realise our strategy are dramatically changing. We need to identify and integrate the changing skillsets required to

• become a fully rounded world-class organisation
• embrace, nurture, and develop specialists in key areas of the business

Thereby, we create an organisation which:

• possesses the skill-sets required for future growth
• demonstrates an in-depth knowledge and passion for tourism and events

Strategic partnerships will be our most powerful differentiator

The right channel, technology and industry partners will open up a world of opportunities to help us achieve our vision and goals.

Directing and influencing investment aligned to 2030 ambition

Private and public sector capital and infrastructure investments are going to be key elements. They will support recovery, visitor management, and future growth ambitions.

We must engage, influence, challenge, support, and where appropriate facilitate discussions. This is to secure the right investments in the right locations. In turn, this will deliver the right outcomes for the sector, communities, and the environment.