The latest VisitScotland activity to support Argyll & the Isles' tourism industry.
It has been fantastic to see the return of domestic and international visitors to our region over the summer months. As we approach the autumn and winter season, we will continue to work with partners in our tourism and events industry on promoting activity that extends the season and ensuring Scotland and Argyll & Isles remains front of mind for potential visitors.
We’re prioritising activities that will stimulate demand and new bookings for the industry to support its long-term recovery with more details in the update below.
We know that many businesses are facing difficult decisions and are having to consider how they adapt their operations to manage the cost challenges. We would encourage you to visit our industry website for all the latest industry advice, support and guidance and we will bring you news on industry events taking place in the region.
We also want to take the opportunity to celebrate our tourism and events industry who have worked tirelessly in the past two years. The return of the Scottish Thistle Awards regional finals later this month offers us the chance to do this and I would like to wish all those shortlisted the very best of luck.
Tourism businesses have been able to host in-person travel trade familiarisation trips for the first time since before the height of the pandemic in Argyll & the Isles.
A group of around 30 tour operators, travel agents and destination management companies from the UK and key North American, European and Asian markets visited Argyll & the Isles, as part of VisitScotland’s travel trade event Discover Scotland 2022, in addition to the online business-to-business event earlier in the year.
The group were taken to the Isle of Bute and spent time at Mount Stuart, taken on a tour of the island and stopped at Isle of Bute Gin Distillery.
Aerial shot of Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute
Both Rothesay and Bowmore had a busy September with cruise ship visits, with a special greeting for the Maud 300 cruise ship in Bowmore from the Islay pipe band and highlands dancers outside the iCentre. It was also great to see the return of international visitors with a marked increase in North American visitors towards the end of the summer.
Visitor numbers have been steady, peaking with cruise ship days. We've had lots of positive feedback on our service and our retail selection however we have faced some challenges for visitors with ferry cancellations and poor mobile signal in Argyll.
In Craignure, we had visitors coming back to show pictures of otters they spotted from our recommendation of going to Loch Na Keal. We also received some lovely feedback from an American family who we assisted in getting to Duart Castle and back.
In Craignure and Rothesay, we hosted a shop local event in September, inviting local suppliers to showcase their goods. The suppliers in Craignure were Island Bakery, Isle of Mull Seaweed and Tobermory Distillery. In Rothesay, we hosted Blackthorn Salt, Gordon Stevenson and Ray Beverly. Both events were a great success and enjoyed by the suppliers and visitors alike. You can see some of our pictures from the events in the next section.
In Oban, we are looking forward to Oban Winter Festival and the build up to Christmas. In Mull, we are looking forward to the Mull Rally returning. And overall, we hope to see more local in for their gift shopping in the run up to Christmas as well as assisting visitors with future trip planning over phone and email.
The regional shortlist for this year’s Scottish Thistle Awards has been announced and it’s a fantastic line up highlighting the strength and depth of Scotland's tourism & events industry.
Accommodation providers, visitor attractions, hotels, restaurants, events and individuals the length and breadth of the country are in the running for a 2022/23 Scottish Thistle Award. Congratulations to:
In September, we launched a brand new trail and map exploring Scotland's tales of witchcraft to mark our Year of Stories 2022.
The downloadable guide features 15 locations and can be found on VisitScotland.com alongside a blog taking a deeper dive on the subject and offering even more witch-craft themed visitor experiences.
Experiences on the map include Loch Awe and Kilchurn Castle which is said to be haunted by the witch of Ben Cruachan.
As part of our Spirit of the Higlands & Islands campaign, influencer and blogger Foraged by Fern explored Argyll & the Isles with a packed 4-day itinerary. The visit included stops to Loch Fyne Oyster Bar, Fyne Ales Brewery, Crawford Castle, Kilmartin Glen, Stonefield Castle, Keills Chapel and more.
Between July and September, our consumer PR team promoted Argyll & the Isles to audiences in the UK, Europe and North America:
VisitScotland.com is our website for visitors to find inspiration for their next trip to Scotland. Check out some of the newest content featuring Argyll & the Isles:
In July, our Multimedia team shot some brilliant new footage on Islay, capturing an array of images and aerial footage across the whole island. Take a look at a selection of the images and head to our media library to find more.
Some other new activity and updates from across the region include:
