On the right track: Visit Scotland gets £90m from staycationers

VisitScotland Chairman, Mike Cantlay and John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth

Surprise Yourself campaign earns £90m for the Scottish economy since March

VisitScotland Chairman, Mike Cantlay and John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth were both in Boat of Garten yesterday attending the convention of Highlands and Islands, as VisitScotland announced its best ever results for a domestic campaign – £89.9m additional economic benefit for Scotland since the start of the campaign in March.

This comes on the back of the latest set of domestic figures which has seen the burgeoning staycation sector go from strength to strength. For the first half of 2011, domestic visits, which account for 84 per cent of all trips to Scotland, were up 6 per cent to 5.9 million, with Scotland outperforming the rest of Britain.

VisitScotland’s £3.5 million campaign, which launched in March with a stunning new television advert, website and Scotland-wide marketing activity, including a range of money-saving vouchers, focuses on presenting the country’s myriad surprising twists on familiar Scottish backdrops.

VisitScotland Chairman Mike Cantlay said: “We are delighted with the results so far for Surprise Yourself. This is clear evidence that the staycation trend is far from over and we hope that the campaign will continue to inspire potential visitors and locals alike to explore the fantastic things to see and do in Scotland.”

Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth John Swinney said:
 “The Scottish Government and VisitScotland are working hard to position Scotland as a first class destination for business and leisure tourism. The ‘Surprise Yourself’ campaign has generated an additional £89.9 million to Scotland’s economy since its launch in March – making it VisitScotland’s most successful domestic campaign to date.

“This positive news follows on from the latest ONS figures which show Scotland has seen a six per cent increase in domestic visitors in the first six months of 2011, compared to the same period in 2010, and a 13 per cent increase in expenditure. This growth is testament to the success of VisitScotland’s push on the ‘staycation’ market.

“More than 80 per cent of Scotland’s visitors come from the UK and the further strengthening of this market is very encouraging as we move into the ‘winning years’, which aims to capitalise on the huge economic opportunities that lie ahead, including the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, Homecoming 2014, Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup.”

See: http://www.visitscotland.com/surprise

Valere Tjolle
Valere is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite 2011 Special Offers HERE