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Visit Scotland | Alba
Article published 20/01/2021

After our first virtual travel trade event Scotland Reconnect 2020 last November, Scotland Reconnect 2021 will take place on 27 – 29 April 2021. 

Given ongoing constraints on travel, we will deliver Scotland Reconnect 2021 event in place of the VisitScotland Expo. 

Last year’s Scotland Reconnect was the first time we had delivered a virtual trade event on this scale. Several hundred Scottish tourism businesses from across the country took part in around 5,000 meetings with international travel trade from 23 countries, aimed at booking and creating tour packages for future visitors.

USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Australia and Brazil were all represented at the event, with London-based inbound operators representing the Japanese and Chinese markets.

We are delighted to offer our tourism businesses the chance to plan for the future again with international markets, during the most difficult period they continue to face.

Until we can run face-to-face business events, platforms like Scotland Reconnect are the next best thing. We hope it gives the industry confidence that engaging online can deliver for their businesses.

We always knew that demand for Scotland has not diminished during the pandemic, but this confirms what our intelligence has been telling us, the recovery will take time but we are as popular as ever as a destination.

Engaging virtually serves two key functions, keeping Scotland at the forefront of people’s minds when international travel is permitted; and the potential for businesses to generate future bookings and create new revenue streams from digital experiences.

We look forward to what we are confident will be another highly successful event.

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland

Scotland Reconnect has been a huge success for us at Brendan Vacations. The OnAir platform has facilitated an experience which has felt similar to a face-to-face event. The networking, storytelling sessions, music, and 'In conversation with' sessions have all enriched the event and helped us reconnect as an industry. We will be doing our bit to drive the message out there that Scotland is ready to welcome our guests back.

Nick Landy, Supplier Relationship Manager at North American-based tour operator Brendan Vacations

Find out more about Scotland Reconnect 2020.  

For more details on our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit our dedicated coronavirus advice page.

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