VisitScotland announces Lanarkshire’s first ever tourism industry conference to take place on 19 March
EDINBURGH, Scotland, 2019-Feb-19 — /Travel PR News/ — Fresh from his adventures around some of Lanarkshire’s top heritage sites, digital consultant and travel blogger Neil Robertson, aka ‘Travels with a Kilt’, will be meeting local businesses at Lanarkshire’s first ever tourism industry conference next month to share his experiences and top tips for making the most of social media.
Neil is part of a programme of inspirational expert speakers at the free event for tourism businesses across the area – the result of a partnership between VisitScotland and Visit Lanarkshire – which will take place as part of this year’s Scottish Tourism Month on the afternoon of Tuesday 19 March at Hamilton Park Racecourse.
In advance of the event, Neil Robertson has been touring the area, blogging and sharing images and video with his thousands of followers worldwide about the area’s walking and heritage highlights, from Summerlee and the Antonine Wall in the north to Hamilton Mausoleum and New Lanark in the south – while drawing links to popular film hits Braveheart and Outlaw King.
He’ll be using examples of from his Lanarkshire travels 19 March to give businesses an insight into ways they can learn from his social media success, plus offering them tips on website development and how they can attract more business online.
He will be joined at the event, titled ‘Buzz, bookings and bottom line’, by other speakers showing businesses ways to make a success of the 2019 tourist season by creating a bigger online buzz and becoming easier to book.
Booking.com’s regional account manager Lynsey Burns discuss about the opportunities of working with an online travel agent and Lynsey Eckford, VisitScotland’s industry relationship manager will talk through the range of ways the organisation can help businesses.
Lanarkshire Tourism Association chairman Mark Calpin will speak on local priorities for tourism growth in the area, and introduce attendees to the opportunities available at stands provided by Scotland Food & Drink, Lanarkshire Enterprise Services, Digital Tourism Scotland, EventScotland and others.
VisitScotland’s Regional Leadership Director Jim Clarkson, who will also be speaking at the event, said:
“This is the first time we’ve held an event like this dedicated to Lanarkshire alone, and we want to attract as many businesses from all sectors of the local industry to join us, from big hotels, attractions, tour operators and event organisers through to cafes, bars, restaurants and shops.
“The pace of change in trading online is something we all need to think about, and not everyone is an expert. We want everyone to come away with something valuable from the day, and we’re delighted to be working with Visit Lanarkshire to make this happen.”
Lanarkshire Tourism Association chairman Mark Calpin said:
“This event is all about making Lanarkshire easy to buy for our visitors, and in that way making 2019 a successful year for all tourism businesses across the area.
“It’s a great chance to bring the Lanarkshire tourism industry together in all its forms, meet valuable new contacts and get into discussion on the practical things we can all do grow our businesses. If we all make positive steps, then collectively we can make a bigger noise about Lanarkshire online and attract more visitors by the wealth of experiences on offer here.”
The event is free and open to all tourism businesses across Lanarkshire – whether it’s a small café, a gift shop, a visitor attraction or a large hotel. Businesses should secure their free place at Eventbrite here.
The event is part of Scottish Tourism Month, a month-long series of industry events taking place across the country. Highlights include ScotHot – the country’s premier showcase for food, hospitality and tourism – and the Signature Sessions on 14 March at Glasgow’s SEC.
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by five overarching strategies: Marketing, Events, Quality and Sustainability, Inclusive Tourism, International Engagement.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
Scotland’s Themed Years
-
- Following an industry consultation, the Themed Years will now take place every second year to enable more time for planning and opportunities for collaboration.
- 2020 has been designated as a year in which Scotland’s Coasts and Waters will be showcased and celebrated with a programme of activity designed to support the nation’s tourism and events sectors.
- The year, led by VisitScotland will sustain and build upon the momentum of Scotland’s preceding Themed Years to spotlight, celebrate and promote opportunities to experience and enjoy Scotland’s unrivalled Coasts and Waters, encouraging responsible engagement and participation from the people of Scotland and our visitors.
- A year-long programme of events, activities and ideas will shine a spotlight on the impact our waters have had on Scotland, from the formation of beautiful natural features to the creation of our national drink – whisky.
- Join the conversation using #YCW2020
- 2022 will be the Year of Scotland’s Stories – a celebration of our rich literature, film, oral traditions and myths and legends.
Contact:
Janice Macgregor
Senior Corporate Press & Social Media Manager
janice.macgregor@visitscotland.com
0131 472 2324
Source: VisitScotland
###