Moray Tourism Destination Development.

The Moray Council are among the partner organisations currently enjoying much greater marketing exposure for their budgets thanks to the economies of scale in VisitScotland’s new Explore Scotland campaign – our biggest ever regional marketing push.

Responding to feedback from local authorities, destination organisations and other regional partners, VisitScotland has developed its biggest ever marketing campaign for Scotland’sregions: ‘Explore Scotland – We’ll point you in the right direction’.

The Moray Council is among those partners taking advantage of Explore Scotland which complements the national ‘Surprise Yourself’ campaign for the UK & Ireland markets. The Explore Scotland campaign provides practical assistance to help potential visitors filter their choices and decide where to spend their holiday time in Scotland.

As well as being the biggest, Explore Scotland is also unique in the respect that it is our first campaign led by our local marketing department, entirely funded by partners – thanks to local authorities and the European Regional Development Fund.

This cumulative investment by local authorities across the country, combined with VisitScotland’s established buying power, means that each of the partners achieves a reach that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive.

Working with Moray Tourism Development and Moray Council we pulled together a mix of press supplements, adverts, radio, door
drops, digital and sales promotions which has enabled us to promote the region to a wide audience. The combined press, radio and online coverage will ensure the Moray Speyside message reaches over 6 million consumers with sales promotions reaching a further 250,000.

Moray Speyside featured in joint supplement packages in the Herald in March (below left) reaching 154,000 readers; in the Daily Record
in April (below middle) reaching 876,000 readers and in the Sunday Post (below right) reaching 872,000 readers.

A dedicated Moray Speyside feature appeared in a double page advert in the Dundee Courier (below left) reaching 159,000 readers and a full page advert featured in the Sunday Post in May (below right) reaching 872,000 readers. 

Moray Speyside also featured in a sales promotion through Whisky magazine reaching around 98,000 readers. The campaign used radio advertising on a number of Bauer Radio stations which gave over 1.3 million opportunities for people to hear the Moray Speyside message. The adverts promoting Moray Speyside were aired on Tay FM and Real XS. The full campaign was heard by 243,000 adults. This represents 19.6% of the total adult population within the transmission areas of the stations we are advertising on, with each adult hearing the advert on average 5.8 times each. The 30 second radio ads portray a phone call to VisitScotland’s contact centre, with a visitor asking for a recommendation for somewhere to suit their interests, prompting a recommendation for Moray Speyside.

An Explore Scotland map also included a selection of things to see and do in Moray Speyside. This reached over 1.8 million people partly as an insert in a suite of Scotland and UK broadsheets and tabloids, and partly as a door drop to households

The value of this activity for each of the partners is formidable in comparison with their respective investments. While such economies of scale have always been true of investment in VisitScotland marketing, Explore Scotland extends the principle by admitting partners on more modest budgets than ever before. Placing VisitScotland’s marketing strategy within the reach of more partners has advantages all round. It gives more areas the opportunity to promote their ‘surprising’ products to visitors, and it means that we’re leveraging marketing spend in more of the country – which in turn increases VisitScotland’s media buy.

Surprise Yourself – national radio campaign

All of the activity outlined above is based on our partnership with Moray Council. Meanwhile, VisitScotland continues to promote Moray
Speyside as part of the wider Highlands, at home and overseas, with discretionary coverage across our marketing effort.

As part of Surprise Yourself, our UK and Ireland Marketing team launched a new national radio campaign on Monday 30 April.

It runs until the end of July on radio stations across England and is part of a range of activity that encourages listeners to enter a competition to win their own ‘surprising’ Scottish experience.

The recorded radio adverts and live promotion by the radio presenters will direct listeners to the radio station’s websites, where they can watch a short online video featuring Neil Oliver and enter the competition. Awareness of the competition will also be raised by email newsletters. There
are a number of Highland locations and events featured in this including Rockness.

Moray Tourism’s first webcast  ‘Running an Accommodation business in the Moray area – what business opportunities are out there for you?’ run in conjunction with HIE was well received particularly as during this busy period for our tourism businesses this could be enjoyed from the comfort of your own desks.
If you missed the presentation or would like to watch it again first download the slides here and then click here to open the video.

We propose to be hosting a further series of networking and workshop events during the autumn so please keep a look out for these.

January’s update is available here

December’s update is available here

November’s update is available here

October’s update is available here

September’s update is available here

August’s update is available here

July’s update is available here

June’s update is available here

Wildlife Tourism in Scotland

Tourism Intelligence Scotland have just published another guide in the ‘Opportunities for Growth’ series, Wildlife Tourism in Scotland, which
is available to download now on www.tourism-intelligence.co.uk

‘Knowing Our Markets’ Guide

A newly updated  ’Knowing Our Markets’ Guide is now available from Tourism Intelligence Scotland.

This guide is the latest in Tourism Intelligence Scotland’s ‘Opportunities for Growth’ series, and is a totally refreshed version of the original Knowing Our Markets… Scotland’s Visitors that was published in 2008.

The guide is an essential read for businesses who want to stay competitive and really understand the tourism markets in Scotland. With the launch of the new tourism industry strategy, there has never been a better time to really understand how to deliver fantastic visitor experiences by knowing your visitors better.

Like the others in the series, it is a blend of good market intelligence, inspiring case studies from operators, product insights and most importantly – ideas and top tips on how to tailor the visitor experiences we offer, and our sales and marketing activities to meet an individual visitor’s needs.

Download for FREE from www.tourism-intelligence.co.uk.

The new Scottish tourism strategy was launched in Edinburgh on 19 June and targets an extra £2bn coming from tourism by 2020. You can read the full document here

This is an exceptional opportunity to transform the development of the visitor economy in Moray Speyside and promote the area as a leading tourist destination in the UK.

The vision is to have a Chief Executive of the Destination Management Organisation in Moray Speyside, to meet the needs and aspirations of the tourism community and enhance the prosperity of the region.

You will develop the image, perception and performance of Moray Speyside as a visitor destination, by working with partners in the public and private sector to build strong brands, and deliver successful tourism and inward investment performance. You will create cohesive and market-focused organisations that capture the best of the existing approaches, and blend with them new and innovative methods and technologies to take tourism and inward investment to the next level. You will also represent the interests of tourism in Scotland and champion its cause to a wider audience, building collaborative partnerships with key influencers and stakeholders.

You will be a proven leader, preferably with board level experience, who can demonstrate a successful track record in sales, marketing and brand management, ideally gained within a tourism, visitor attraction or inward investment environment. In addition, your capacity to manage the administrative, managerial and financial challenges of running organisations will be essential, as will personal drive, dynamism and inspirational leadership skills.

A natural communicator, your ability to engage and motivate a wide range of interested parties will be critical to the success of the venture.

This post is offered on a part time basis together with the real prospect of longer-term development within a progressive environment of change.

Please reply in confidence, enclosing your CV, quoting Ref MS 131000 to:

Colin A Grant
Moray Tourism Development
e: colin@moray-tourism.info
www.moray-tourism.info

The Moray European Fisheries Fund (MEFF) has been allocated a total of £400,000, from the European Fisheries Fund (Axis 4), of which 50% is match funded by The Moray Council. Funding is available to assist new, existing businesses, third sector public sector organisations and consortiums.

Grant aid for projects in the fisheries area can offer capital and revenue grants based on approximately 50% eligible costs. Projects in certain circumstances may be able to receive more than 50% funding if there is a substantial benefit to the FLAG area.

Eligible projects can apply for a minimum grant of £2,500, with match funding being available from the applicant or other sources.

The scheme is targeted at small and medium sized enterprises (employing less than 250 people) located within the Moray local authority area, stretching from Cullen to Burghead.

For more information visit www.morayfisheriesfund.co.uk

The launch of Dark Skye Discovery, networking events, competitions, workshops and familiarisation trips are taking place across the Highlands as part of Scottish Tourism Week this week.

The events have been pulled together by members of the Highland Tourism Partnership (HTP) and the Inverness Hotels Association.

Scottish Tourism Week is now in its seventh year, and was initiated by the Scottish Tourism Forum in 2006 to raise the profile of the industry’s importance to the Scottish economy, to encourage business networking and to bring together the public, private and elected sector towards a positive single agenda.

Some of the events taking place in the Highlands include the launch of Dark Skye Discovery. Nine sites on the Isle of Skye have been accredited with Dark Sky status, offering fantastic opportunities to view the wonders of the universe from sites with some of the least light pollution in Scotland. Professor John C Brown, – Astronomer Royal for Scotland, will lead the observations meeting and explain what to see on site.

Networking events and workshops will take place at various locations across the Highlands, including a “Springle” in Lairg where all businesses involved in tourism will be able to go along and learn more about other providers in the area. Other workshops taking place in Wick, Lochinver, Fortrose and Helmsdale will look at how businesses can learn to better understand their customers and go the extra
mile to exceed their expectations.

The Inverness Hotels Association (IHA) has created a competition with all the primary schools in the Inverness area, asking that the children create a starter, main course or desert, or all three and, using the theme of the Year of Creative Scotland 2012, create a menu, a picture of what the dish would look like and a brief description of what the dish represents about Scotland or could tell visitors about Scotland. The idea is that they use any ingredients and be a creative as they like.

The winners from the competition along with their teachers and key representatives from the tourism industry in the Highlands will be invited to a gala lunch on Monday 12^th March where their creations will be served to a range of business professionals and hopefully some famous celebs as well! The children will also have the opportunity to explain their dish description and what their creation represents during the lunch.
This event is being created and supported by the IHA, and every school taking part will receive a prize from the IHA members that they can use towards their next fundraising event.

As part of the Highland Tourism Partnership’s programme of events during Scottish Tourism Week, Forestry Commission Scotland is running three familiarisation events across the Highlands for representatives from the tourism industry.

Marina Huggett, Highlands and Islands representative for the Scottish Tourism Forum and a member of the HTP, said: “We are delighted that so many of the Highlands areas have embraced the potential of Scottish Tourism Week and organised localised events. The local events have all been designed to inspire and motivate the industry and to increase awareness of the importance of tourism within the wider community.”

Scott Armstrong, Regional Director for VisitScotland, said: “It is fantastic to see so many events in the Highlands as part of Scottish Tourism Week and members of the HTP and the IHA are to be commended on pulling them all together. Scottish Tourism Week is a great chance for everyone involved in the tourism industry to raise its profile, particularly now when there are so many opportunities for tourism businesses to take advantage of and use to grow over the next three years in the run up to the second Year of Homecoming, the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup in 2014.”

Members of the HTP include representatives from the following groups & organisations: Destination Loch Ness; North Highland Tourism; Celtic Fringe; Moray Tourism Development; Cairngorm Business Partnership; Destination Skye & Lochalsh; Outdoor Capital of the UK; Scottish Tourism Forum; Federation of Small Businesses; Forestry Commission Scotland; Cairngorm National Park Authority; The Highland Council; the Moray Council; VisitScotland; Scottish Natural Heritage and Highlands & Islands Enterprise.

A list of all the events can be found on the Scottish Tourism Forum (STF) website at the following link – http://www.stforum.co.uk/scottishtourismweek/stw2012/htp.aspx

Interesting report on www.bbc.co.uk Scottish Tourism’s future.

A target for a 50% boost in Scotland’s tourism industry by 2016 cannot be met, the Scottish Parliament’s economy committee has warned. The 10-year Scottish government growth plan was set in 2006, before the global economic crisis hit.

In a new report, the Holyrood committee cited industry concern the target was “not considered achievable”. Scotland’s multibillion-pound tourism industry is said to support more than 200,000 jobs.

In 2006, the previous Scottish government, under its tourism strategy for the decade ahead, outlined its ambition for a 50% real-terms boost in tourism revenue under a plan to “keep pace with global trends over the next 10 years”.

The target was carried forward when the SNP came to power, but the cross-party Holyrood committee, which has been investigating the issue and took evidence from a range of industry figures, raised concern.

Its report stated: “The committee welcomes the ambition of setting and trying to achieve a high tourism growth target, but notes the evidence from witnesses that the 50% target is not considered achievable.”

The committee also raised concern that there is currently no proper way to measure how well Scottish tourism is doing, and urged the government to consider setting up a new system for gathering statistics and other performance-related information.

It also asked tourism agency VisitScotland to provide annual updates on whether the 50% target will actually be met, as well as a plan to deal with any shortfall.

MSPs also urged ministers to look again at the level of training opportunities available to people wanting to pursue a career in the industry.

The committee also said events like the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup, in Gleneagles – both in 2014 – were a major opportunity to showcase Scotland as a major tourist destination.

A Scottish government spokesman, said official figures had shown an 8% rise in visitor numbers in the first nine months of last year.

“The committee has produced a wide-ranging report and we are pleased that they have highlighted some great examples of activity in the tourism industry and the agencies involved,” said the spokesman.

“Moving forward, we remain ambitious for Scottish tourism and what can be achieved.”

Scottish tourism is worth £4.2bn every year and employs about 215,000 people, according to trade association, the Scottish Tourism Forum.

Two meetings will take place in Moray next week to discuss a proposed new Moray European Fisheries Fund.

Representatives from businesses and community organisations operating in local coastal towns are invited to attend the meetings, which will take place at:

the Town House in Buckie on Tuesday, August 9

at Lossiemouth Town Hall on Wednesday, August 10.

Both begin at 5.30pm and booking is not necessary.

It is hoped that the fund, which will run for two years, will amount to £400,000, with half coming from the European Fisheries Fund.

Applicants will be required to secure match funding from other sources and at least half of the projects must be led by the private sector. Projects which could be considered for funding include adding value to fisheries products, small-scale fisheries and tourism infrastructure, protecting the environment and architectural heritage and diversifying the economy.

Those attending will be able to find out more about the proposed new fund and contribute opinions and ideas about how it should operate. These may be incorporated into the fund’s business plan and strategy currently under development.

More information about the fund and the meeting is available from Moray Council development officer Alan MacBeth on 01343 563537 or by e-mail at alan.macbeth@moray.gov.uk