VisitScotland has put out a global call to those who live and work in Aberdeen City and Shire to share the region’s memorable places, hidden gems and fascinating stories as part of a new online community.
Revealed today, the national tourism organisation has introduced a new global online community to allow Scots and those who love Scotland to bring alive the streets, characters and landscapes of the country. The community will mean everyone worldwide from New York to New Guinea can go online in their own homes and ‘talk to a Scottish local’.
From the breathtaking experience of driving along the Tomintoul Road from Ballater over the Cairngorms to taking a tour of the Royal Lochnagar Distillery; from watching seals at Newburgh to checking out Guy Martin’s vehicle collection at the Grampian Transport Museum, locals are being asked to share their insider knowledge to inspire and excite visitors to make their own memories and adventures in the region.
Entitled iKnow Scotland, the new online and face-to-face community will give businesses, industry and visitors the tools to enable them to share the Spirit of Scotland with others.
VisitScotland also hopes that the new community will ensure Scotland remains one of the top holiday choices after a rapid rise of destinations worldwide.
Recent findings show in the last 12 years, 254 new destinations have appeared worldwide leading to significant competition for Scotland’s £5.2bn tourism industry*.
The initiative will be backed by an intensive marketing campaign including radio, TV, print and digital advertising as well as a special short film featuring an Amy Macdonald soundtrack to inspire Scots and those who love Scotland to be part of the community.
Features of iKnow Scotland:
Online inspiration:
- Online Community on visitscotland.com - an active, owned forum where consumers can tell their own stories, show pictures, inspire others and provide advice
- Live Web Chat function to allow visitors to ask questions and get answers online in real time (during business hours)
- Innovative partnerships with industry leaders like TripAdvisor, Google, com and TrustYou
- Trip planning: A practical trip planning tool to help visitors to plan their break by creating, saving and sharing their own travel itineraries
Physical inspiration:
- Re-naming of VisitScotland Information Centres as iCentres and iHubs nationwide
- Introduction of iKnow Scotland VisitScotland Information Partner (VIP) Programme (working with attractions and accommodation providers to deliver information and advice to visitors)
- 125 tourism businesses have signed up to the VIP programme already including visitor attractions operated by National Trust for Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland
- Outreach - a fleet of Coo campervans and VisitScotland staff will travel around Scotland throughout the summer providing inspiration and information at some of the country’s biggest and best events, visitor attractions and tourism hotspots
In a recent visitor survey nearly half (49%) of visitors said that they talked to locals to get advice on things to do while on holiday in Scotland. 47% of visitors said they used visitscotland.com when planning a holiday to Scotland online, second only to Google.
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, said:
“Through the Spirit of Scotland campaign, everyone can tell Scotland’s story. Whether it is about the warmth of our welcome, how they were moved by our landscapes, or our music, or our history.
“The whole nation can come together as part of this campaign, using the pride we have in our country and the passion we have for it to share Scotland’s story far and wide.”
The new initiative is part of the national tourism organisation’s Spirit of Scotland campaign, launched in February 2016. The global campaign is built on extensive research which shows that people think Scotland has a unique spirit – whether it’s the magic of the landscapes or the warmth of the people. Everyone who has shared their #ScotSpirit will become part of a special social movement. The award-winning campaign** has proved one of the most successful for VisitScotland in recent years. Since its launch on 10 February 2016, the campaign has celebrated:
- Over 130,000 shares of #ScotSpirit (average 1000 per day)
- Over 20 million views of Spirit of Scotland online campaign films
- Delivering 576,000 business referrals representing £200m income for tourism businesses (+20%)
- #ScotSpirit trending #2 in the UK and in top 20 worldwide on day of launch
- Over 90 holidays secured through ‘generosity of spirit’ donations for disadvantaged families (373 people)
Jo Robinson, VisitScotland’s Regional Director for Aberdeen City and Shire, said:
“This is a rallying call to all those who live and love Aberdeen City and Shire to share their memorable moments, places, people and experiences from the region to inspire visitors from near and far to visit. It’s a chance to share things that people might not know about the area like the diversity of what they can see and do with miles of stunning coastline to discover, breathtaking mountains, quaint villages and a vibrant, entrepreneurial urban centre.
“We know that people who love Scotland are great storytellers. Visitors want to hear those stories and it is our role to ensure those stories are not only heard – whether online or in person – but that they inspire others to create their own memorable moments in Scotland.
“We want to galvanise a nation behind this initiative, building on the spirit, pride and passion people have for this country to reach more potential visitors globally. Our ScotSpirit campaign has inspired a worldwide movement of more than 130,000 people, but our vision is to grow this army of voices ten-fold to ensure we are heard above the rest.”
The initiative was launched today (Thursday 7 July) using one of the greatest stories conceived in Scotland – Harry Potter – using a book sculpture of the Glenfinnan Viaduct or ‘Harry Potter Bridge’ to show how easy it is to bring Scotland to life through the written word.
To find out more about the VisitScotland online community, visit:
www.visitscotland.com/community