Scotland on the up: Expo reaches new highs after tough year

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We’re all here, we’re all intact said Mike Cantley VisitScotland chairman breathing a sigh of relief

It’s been pretty traumatic for Scotland but a big future potential beckons and Scotland may have saved the bacon with a big guerilla marketing campaign.

On the horizon is a royal wedding (or two), the Commonwealth Games, another year of homecoming Scotland, UK Olympic Games benefits, staycation opportunities, a billion or so from Donald Trump, even a Pixar film called ‘Brave’ set in guess where!

A setting from ‘Brave’

All this could mean really big, and possibly sustainable business for Scotland.

And Scotland has also got other, less vaunted, aces up its sleeve. Aberdeen, well known for its oil resources is gradually recycling itself…into a northern green energy capital, driven by both renewable energy and tourism. Plus Scotland has a great deal of another important resource we’ll be hearing a lot of in the future – water.

‘The Donald’ – one of Scotland’s saviours?

So there wasn’t a lot of watering down of the whisky-fuelled celebrations at Scotland’s annual tourism showcase VisitScotland Expo, this year in Aberdeen.

A total of 230  (up from 220 last year) businesses from all over Scotland exhibited at the AECC, as 504 buyers, including travel agents and group travel organisers, from 35 countries attended the national tourism organisation’s flagship business-to-business trade show.

Exhibitors pulled out all the stops, the scotch, the kilts and the bagpipes to make their stands grab the attention of visitors from all over the UK, as well as a host of other countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia, India, China and Russia.

After last year, when hosted buyers couldn’t get home because of the ash cloud, the event was really positive. After all, Scotland’s not been as badly hit as many destinations, still bringing in over £11billion in tourism revenue in 2010 – flat perhaps but still big money for the economy.
And the future looks quite positive. As one of the world’s first and greatest tourism destinations,  with enormous environmental, cultural heritage, Scotland should know what to do to make the most of the opportunities get, and keep, the business.

All that remains is to make it sustainable, economically, socially, culturally and environmentally. As one of the early leaders in the field of sustainable tourism, with a little more commitment Scotland could also play that advantage to the benefit of all its stakeholders.

Valere Tjolle
Valere Tjolle is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite

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