Supporting your business

Our QA Scheme is one of the best in the world

We operate a Quality Assurance (QA) scheme for a wide variety of tourism businesses, providing official VisitScotland ratings and a valuable business development tool.

There’s never been a better time than now to be part of QA, when our visitors are looking for that extra bit of reassurance. QA schemes inform visitors about what to expect from your business, and helps them choose where to stay, visit and eat with confidence.

Learn more in our Quality Assurance section. 

QA expert advice and support 

Our highly experienced Quality & Tourism Advisors give an objective, impartial assessment of what it’s like as a customer to stay with you or visit your attraction. You’ll receive invaluable feedback and a detailed report on what works well and what could be improved to help you attain the level of quality you desire.

It can help you better understand your strengths and weaknesses and make informed decisions about investing in and developing your business to ensure it’s as economically sustainable, and profitable, as it can be.

Why join our Quality Assurance Scheme? Read more on what you can get from being part of our Scheme.

The only certainty about the future is that the digital landscape will move faster than ever before. 

Technology has provided so much to expand the visitor experience in recent years. We, the Scottish tourism industry, must adapt and diversify to ensure we are meeting the needs and expectations of the visitors of today.

Our digital guidance pages have practical advice on using digital technologies during the COVID-19 situation and beyond, plus the latest updates on online marketing support.

We can help you improve your digital skills

For maximum impact online, businesses need to be discoverable and bookable. The majority of people plan and book their holidays online – even more so now with the increased need to book in advance and manage the flow of visitors. Improve your digital skills, with our help.

It's time to brush up your skills on online marketing and take a look at our advice on making best use of digital technologies. Outside of our online information, we also offer face-to-face advice and learning. Take a look at our Digitial Skills section to discover more. 

As we seek to rebuild tourism and look toward the future of the industry, it's important we put the welfare of communities and our natural environment at the heart of our approach.

Now is the moment for change; an opportunity to reset our plans for the visitor economy based on a more responsible future. 

From an individual business perspective becoming more sustainable can give businesses a competitive edge by generating greater community support for tourism, achieving cost savings and creating new marketing opportunities.

Read more on what responsible tourism is, why it's important, our approach to it and how you can adopt a more sustainable approach within our responsible tourism section.

Inclusive tourism 

Accessibility information is crucial for so many potential customers. By making a few simple changes to your business you can benefit from better return on investment, higher occupancy rates and a loyal and returning customer base.

View our inclusive tourism toolkit with advice on inclusive practices which benefit the widest range of customers possible, as well as the businesses that cater for them.

We have information on the latest financial support available for tourism and events businesses impacted by Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Our funding section highlights other opportunities for financial support such as Themed Year Funding and the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF).

RTIF aims to create a strategic network of facilities which will meet visitor and community needs as the industry moves into the recovery phase of the National Action Plan.

Film and TV influences are a big draw for visitors coming to Scotland, and they can play a key role in ensuring the benefits of tourism are spread across Scotland.

As early as Local Hero to Braveheart, Harry Potter and James Bond, Scotland’s on-screen credentials have had a knock-on effect for tourism.

Some film fans seek out the locations of their favourite flick giving them a visitor boost. We call it set-jetting – whereby jet-setters are drawn to a destination to visit on-screen locations.

Lights, camera… action

The impact of filmmaking in Scotland goes far beyond production spend. Over the years, film tourism has really developed and grown with the number of productions based here.

Scotland’s appearances on TV and film have the potential to reach huge global audiences and, with research finding that one in five visitors are inspired to visit after seeing it on-screen, the opportunities for the tourism industry are immense.

For film tourism it's about capturing the attention of an already captive market and encouraging them to explore far beyond what they see on screen.