Showcasing Scotland’s tourism experiences to audiences across the world is one our main priorities and an important part of how we are helping the industry as it recovers from the impacts of Coronavirus (COVID-19).
We know people across the globe are itching to travel again as soon as restrictions ease. We need to keep Scotland top of mind for people planning their next break, so that we drive high value international visitors to support recovery for the tourism industry, and supplement the value given by domestic UK visitors.
What did our research find?
Our research indicates that consumers are looking to fill the void from lockdowns with experiences that promise to stir the emotions and elevate "in-the-moment" moods. It's vital that we showcase Scotland’s unique experiences to inspire those first returning visitors.
Just now, many of our overseas visitors are planning and booking their trips for 2022. This is a crucial time in our marketing calendar.
Other findings
Responsible tourism experiences will remain core to all activity, as well as inclusivity and diversity, as showcased by our global activity with National Geographic CreativeWorks. Find out more about responsible tourism in our dedicated section.
Our research tells us that the first returning audiences will be younger, spontaneous buzzseekers and adventurers as well as luxury travellers in long haul markets, so we have amended our media targeting to ensure that we are reaching them with Scotland inspiration.
What are our planned activities?
We have a wealth of activity planned which aims to inspire visitors in our key markets to take that next step and visit Scotland this year. We want to start welcoming back our international audiences as well as introduce Scotland to new younger visitors.
2021 proved another challenging year for the tourism and events industry. While the domestic market will remain a key focus again in 2022, the return of international visitors is a priority to provide much needed value to the Scottish tourism industry.
We've been active in our core markets throughout the pandemic - initially with dream now, plan later messaging - and now moving to more overt "book for 2022" messaging.
The first phase of our Scotland is Calling campaign ran from September to December and generated over 22.4 million video views with high engagement levels across digital and social media platforms.
The second phase of the campaign, running through March, will draw on those emotional hooks to inspire bookings to Scotland.
