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Visit Scotland | Alba
Article published 09/03/2022

Phase two will support recovery of Scotland’s tourism industry

We’ve launched phase two of our £8.5 million global marketing campaign – Scotland is Calling. This brand-new phase has been designed to support the recovery of Scotland’s tourism industry in a responsible way and as quickly as possible. 

We’re aiming to increase momentum to ensure that Scotland is the destination of choice for our international visitors while also continuing to grow our domestic audience too. 

We’ve redesigned phase two to align with our consumer research and changed the direction of our marketing to respond to the emotional needs of our future visitors.

As we move beyond a time of uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic and look towards welcoming visitors back over the spring and summer months, we’re making sure that we take every opportunity to put Scotland at the forefront of the global consumers mindset. Especially those international audiences who still have to make their travel decisions for 2022.

We're running the campaign in key markets such as the US, France, Germany, and the UK and it includes partnerships with global brands like National Geographic, Expedia, and Facebook.

Our research – what we know

  • New audiences are becoming apparent

    • Young people (generation Z) will lead the international travel market’s post-COVID-19 revival
    • The 16 - 34 year old (buzz seekers) holiday market is projected to grow considerably in volume and value in 2022 
  • Our visitor's behaviour is changing

    • Consumers are looking for emotional experiences, in-the-moment moods and to understand the impact of their actions – on the people around them and the world
    • The rise of new essentialism – consumers are focusing on what matters to them in life​ 
  • Media landscape has changed

    • There has been a significant change in how 16 - 34 year old and 55+ year old groups spend their media time 
    • Lockdown has reinforced the use of different media channels to reach new audiences  

What’s changed? 

We’re responding to the needs of our visitors through emotional drivers – harnessing the connection, authenticity, discovery, and wellbeing experiences that Scotland has to offer. This new phase will look to create and tell new stories about Scotland that capture the hearts and minds of our visitors.

You might recognise the soundtrack...

Fife singer, Cameron Barnes, performs the soundtrack to our new campaign film with a cover of ‘Bonfire Heart’ helping to build deeper connections and inspire our visitors to plan a trip to Scotland.

Here it is - "the film"

Take a look at our stunning new campaign film, and some of our new imagery aimed at the UK, European and international markets that will connect with our visitors. Browse through the images and watch the new campaign film.

Scotland is Calling

How can you get involved?

  • Videos and images

    We have a collection of free images that can be downloaded for use across your own channels. To access them simply register for the Digital Media Library and search for "Collection Scotland is Calling". 

    You can also share our new campaign video from our YouTube channel.

  • Hashtags... but which one?

    Use #ScotlandIsCalling and #VisitScotland whenever you post on social media. 

  • VisitScotland.com

    Scotland is Calling isn't just about our campaign film, it's the huge amount of rich content about Scotland across our website – VisitScotland.com – where we signpost our visitors. Does your business feature? If so, make sure you share it with your customers. 

  • Make your business stand out

    Make sure your business listing on VisitScotland.com is up to date. Inspire visitors with updated imagery, and engaging information on what you offer. Take a look at our handy guide for some tips. 

  • Digital support

    We’ve got it in abundance – take a look at our latest webinar series in partnership with DigitalBoost covering a range of digital topics to help your business. Watch the recordings.

Our manifesto and brand guidelines

To help us with our shift in focus, and in addition to our main campaign video, we’ve created a manifesto video. This is a declaration of our intentions, motives and views on how the consumer should see Scotland through the representation of our marketing efforts.  

It explains how Scotland can respond to the needs of Buzz Seekers, offering them the chance to create experiences that fulfil their emotional needs.

Our manifesto

Brand guidelines

Published March 2022

Our new brand guidelines

Campaign overview

Published March 2022

Scotland is Calling campaign overview

Thank you 

A huge thanks to everyone involved in creating Scotland is Calling, our warm welcome is safely in the hands of Scotland’s amazing tourism sector. 

Since its launch in 2021, the Scotland is Calling video has been viewed by over 40 million potential visitors. In addition, traffic to visitscotland.com has increased by up to 70% from priority markets, and a 16% rise in SEO searches for Scotland.

Working together with industry and stakeholders we want to continue this momentum and ensure that Scotland is the destination of choice for all visitors in 2022 and beyond. 

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