Showcasing Scotland in Australia and New Zealand

We’re gearing up to travel to Australia and New Zealand in February 2026 to meet key stakeholders, travel partners, airlines and media. We’ll showcase what’s new for 2026 and beyond.

This visit coincides with the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s tour across Australia and New Zealand, creating a unique platform to amplify Scotland as a must-visit, must-return destination.

It creates a brilliant moment to spotlight Scotland’s rich heritage, vibrant culture, and contemporary appeal in markets that share strong sporting, cultural, and ancestral ties with Scotland.

If you’re planning to be in Australia or New Zealand in February 2026 and would like to explore potential opportunities while there, we’d love to hear from you.

Why these markets matter

With excellent connectivity via Middle Eastern hubs offering multiple daily flights to Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scotland is more accessible than ever for visitors from Australia and New Zealand.

Australia alone is one of Scotland’s most valuable international markets. In 2024, it ranked third for both expenditure and nights and visitor spend rose 35% on 2023 and an incredible 101% above pre-pandemic levels. And news reports show that leisure travel for New Zealand has gone up in the last year, with longer trips up by as much as 12%*.

These figures highlight a significant economic opportunity for Scotland. To harness this momentum, we’ll be undertaking a programme of activities in Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland.

We’ll engage with travel trade and airline partners, as well as wider stakeholder groups, delivering destination and sales training and helping operators to make the best connections for creating more of the new bookable Scotland programmes their clients are looking for. As well as targeted trade and consumer PR activity.

Discover how you can work with travel distribution partners

Many Australian and New Zealand visitors use tour operators to plan and book their itineraries. They're particularly keen to source:

cultural or heritage experiences (especially those which are hands-on and unique or authentic to your location)
opportunities to meet the locals 
soft adventure activities in nature like hiking or cycling
activities or experiences that drive shoulder season travel

A Virtuoso 2026 Luxe Report** showed that many Australian and New Zealand travellers:

are willing to pay more for companies that benefit local communities and the economy
have a preference for destinations with more temperate climates
prioritise ease of travel to a destination when planning their trips

It’s important that visitors can find the Scotland experience they’re looking for on the booking channels they use.

Opportunities for Scottish Business

If your business is planning to be in market, or already has representation in Australia or New Zealand, this is an ideal time to connect with us. We’d love to explore opportunities for you to:
- join our activities where appropriate
- engage with relevant trade partners
- share stories or products that resonate with Australian and New Zealand audiences
Even if you’re not in market in February, there are still ways to get involved:
- tell us about your product or story so we can include it in our messaging if it fits
- learn more about these markets and consider future engagement opportunities through our Business Support Hub, content resources, events, and trade missions