‘Young visitors’ at the center of Scotland’s tourism marketing campaign

A multi-million pound global marketing campaign is planned to support the recovery of Scotland’s valuable tourism and events industry by encouraging young visitors to make Scotland their first travel choice this year.

With 16-34 year olds set to be among the first to travel this year, and global news suggesting this age group will lead to the post-COVID rebirth of the international travel market, VisitScotland is focused on the next phase of Scotland is calling to attract young visitors. It aims to ensure that Scotland is top of mind for those who have yet to plan their trip.

In 2019, Scotland welcomed 3.5 million international overnight visitors, generating 43% of total tourism spending that year. Figures from the same period show visitors aged 16 to 34 accounted for an average of £1.5billion for the Scottish economy.

It is hoped that attracting young visitors to Scotland will trigger a significant recovery for the industry, which has been one of the biggest economic victims of the pandemic. 2022 will mark, what we hope, the first full year of activity for many tourism and events companies.

The £8.5million campaign, which will launch during Scottish Tourism Month, is running in key markets including America, France, Germany and the UK. It will target people who are already thinking about their next vacation and includes partnerships with brands like National Geographic, Expedia, Facebook and NBC.

A specially created video will draw inspiration from what it feels like to visit Scotland by highlighting the country’s breathtaking scenery and must-see experiences through the eyes of visitors. It is accompanied by an inspiring track covered by up-and-coming Fife-based singer Cameron Barnes.

Research suggests overseas visitors are staying longer and spending more, with their return seen as a crucial step in the recovery of Scotland’s valuable tourism and events industry.

VisitScotland’s Scotland is calling is part of an international demand building program. One of several tourism recovery proposals developed by the Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group (STERG), funded by the Scottish Government, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. VisitScotland has also allocated additional budget to UK activities to support a growing trend of staycations.

Since its launch in 2021, the Scotland is Calling video has been viewed by over 40 million potential visitors. Additionally, traffic to visitscotland.com increased by up to 70% against priority markets, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) searches for Scotland increased by 16%.

Tourism Minister Ivan McKee said: “The Scottish Government is well aware of the seriousness of the impact of the tourism sector since the start of the pandemic and understands the role of the sector in our economic recovery as we start to see more and more international travelers coming to experience all that Scotland has to offer. .

“The Scotland is Calling campaign will benefit all tourism sectors, especially receptive international operators to rebuild from the challenges of Covid.”

Vicki Miller, VisitScotland’s Director of Marketing and Digital, said: “We understand the enormous challenges the industry has faced and continues to face. VisitScotland wants to kick-start the meaningful, sustainable and responsible recovery of Scottish tourism and the return of international visitors marks a crucial step in that journey.

“This next phase of Scotland is Calling will help build new, deeper relationships with visitors to our key markets, inspiring them to plan a trip to Scotland in the future. ???

“We focus on audiences we know want to travel again and use the channels we know they use to help show how Scotland can meet their emotional needs. Although younger visitors are expected to travel earlier, we recognize the importance of our target audience and continue to engage and inspire them about all that a visit to Scotland has to offer.

“Working with industry, stakeholders and the Scottish Government, we want to accelerate and ensure that Scotland is the destination of choice for all visitors in 2022 and beyond.”