Thriving in a fast-changing global tourism market takes more than resilience. It takes insight and action.
Our experts provide the latest visitor trends, practical advice, and strategies to help businesses grow and sustain success, which, in turn, helps grow the visitor economy.
Alison Winkler, Intermediary Business Development Manager at VisitScotland, explains the latest initiative from the VisitScotland Business Support Programme.
Across Scotland, our free-to-access Business Support Programme is delivering hands-on workshops designed to help tourism businesses create bookable experiences that reach the right customers at the right time, boosting yield and profitability.
Whether it’s improving direct bookings, working with online travel agents, introducing modern booking systems, or starting to work with domestic and international travel trade, we show you how to make connections that count.
We held events across several regions this year, such as Shetland, Orkney, Moray Speyside, Argyll, Arran, and Glasgow.
Browse our business tips on support.visitscotland.org
Participants at the travel distribution event in Brodick, Isle of Arran. Credit: Auchrannie Resort and Spa
In-person workshops allow for interactive sessions, Q&A opportunities, and hands-on activities.
Those attending may hear from guest speakers, industry leaders and specialist advisors.
Events are often tailored to regional needs, with insights from local authorities and destination management organisations.
They enable businesses to raise area-specific challenges and opportunities.
Face-to-face networking helps to foster trust and collaboration to build relationships with local partners, suppliers, and VisitScotland.
This can lead to future joint projects and partnership work to further business development, fuelled by the peer-to-peer work.
We think regions benefit from that sense of community within the local tourism industry.
This allows them to can collaborate on shared goals like sustainability, accessibility, and innovation.
Dumfries & Galloway
Scottish Borders
National webinar