Global press coverage for Scotland

Generate powerful coverage

Global tourism recovery is fierce and that translates to the press landscape too. Scotland is competing alongside every other global holiday destination to secure column inches in top travel and lifestyle titles.

The main purpose of global PR activity is to generate powerful coverage in targeted publications which inspires and stimulates potential visitors to take a holiday in Scotland.

Press coverage is one way that success is measured. To achieve this, the team uses a wide range of tactics, including targeted communications, events, trips, telephone pitching and more.

Read on for a summary of our recent activity.

Meeting the media

The global PR team has been busy over the last quarter meeting media in person. This is essential to introducing or reminding media of Scotland as a holiday destination, as well as building relationships and pitching new stories or themes​.

Activity has included visits to TravMedia IMM in London, meeting more than 60 journalists, to pitch stories and generate leads. There has been direct coverage as a result, including an article in the Sun online on the new London to Orkney flight route.  

Similarly, following conversations with US media during Scotland Week, the team achieved coverage in AFAR that includes the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships as a reason to visit the UK this summer.

We also attended ITB Berlin, Adonet Paris and the press conference at ILTM Asia Pacific in Singapore, with 30 regional journalists.

Key media events later this year include:

• September 2023: meet the media events in Germany and France, including Top Resa press day
• November 2023: media engagement at the World Travel Market, British Guild of Travel Writers in St Andrews, event Paris; VisitBritain Destination Britain China
• January 2024: meet the media at IMM Trav Media New York; media events in Hamburg and Munich
• February 2024: meet the media at IMM Trav Media Australia (tbc)
• March 2024: meet the media at IMM Trav Media London; ITB Berlin; Adonet Paris

Keep us up to date of your latest developments so that we can be sure to mention them when we're pitching Scotland to our contacts at these events.

Not-so-scary Witch Trail campaign results

Despite wrapping up Scotland’s Year of Stories, coverage from our Witch Trail campaign, launched in 2022, has continued to be published this year. This shows the ​power of a good story idea which taps into current lifestyle trends and captures the imagination of the audience.

Scotland’s Witch Trail promotes Scotland’s wealth of stories, dark history, truly magical places and ways to live like a modern-day witch, as an alternative way to showcase multiple regions and experiences.

We used Halloween, 31 October, as a hook for travel media (when they were looking for destinations with a spooky connection). We targeted key publications across markets at least four to six weeks’ in advance when they were planning their pages with Halloween content.  

We also pitched a media trip in advance for a group of UK, US and Europe writers to really experience some of the locations on the map and give their resulting articles an authentic feel of Scotland and its witchy links.

Key results include:

• • 84 pieces of coverage (38 Scotland and UK, nine North America, 28 Europe and nine China and emerging markets)
  • 100% of coverage includes at least one key message
  • 86% of coverage achieved in key target media
  • 92% of coverage included at least one inspiring visual