Perth and Kinross, Angus, Dundee City, and Fife partnership to promote Scotland’s Tay Country awarded support from VisitScotland Growth Fund

EDINBURGH, Scotland, 2018-Jun-25 — /Travel PR News/ — The River Tay is making a splash as the star of a new tourism campaign supported by VisitScotland Growth Fund.

Ahead of the arrival of V&A Dundee, The Open at Carnoustie and with Scotland’s reputation as the Home of Golf – the four councils on the banks of the country’s longest river have teamed up to promote their region for the first time.

Perth and Kinross, Angus, Dundee City, and Fife councils have formed the East of Scotland Tourism Partnership and received a major boost from the national tourism organisation.

The group has been awarded £40,000 through the VisitScotland Growth Fund which will be used for a joint campaign focusing on the four regions the river flows through.

From castles and historic homes to wildlife parks and river rafting, each part of the area has something to shout about.

Food and drink businesses, activity operators and accommodation providers all benefit from the River Tay – which stretches for 120 miles – and away from the water, the area offers a diverse range of landscapes and experiences for visitors to enjoy.

The project, Scotland’s Tay Country, aims to establish the area as a key tourism destination and use the opening of V&ADundee, and events like The Open to encourage visitors to stay longer and explore the rest of the region.

This is the first destination marketing campaign for Tay Country and aims to raise the area’s profile outside Scotland, creating bespoke itineraries to suit each tourists’ tastes, using digital channels and video to provide more information about attractions and activities, before and after people visit.

Caroline Warburton, Regional Director at VisitScotland, said:“Scotland’s Tay Country is an exciting new approach for promoting and positioning the area. This campaign comes at a key time as the build up to the opening of V&A Dundee in September is shining a global spotlight on the area. Scotland’s Tay Country aims to capitalise on this attention by using the River Tay, a beautiful natural feature relevant to all four regions, to showcase the many reasons to visit.

“And with more visitors comes more jobs, more support for communities and a boost to the local economies. Partnerships are at the heart of Scottish tourism so we are delighted to support the East of Scotland Tourism Partnership collaborative approach and innovative campaign.”

Angus Council Leader Bob Myles said: “I am delighted we are coming together to spread the word about just how fantastic Scotland’s Tay Country is. Certainly it is no secret that we have marvellous facilities, world class attractions set within beautiful, historic and unrivalled surroundings. But we want everyone to know just what this superb area has to offer.

“Opportunity knocks in July, when The Open comes to Carnoustie and we want to maximise the opportunities that this global event presents. To ensure that people not only visit in their tens of thousands, but return to Tay Country again and again.”

Councillor John Alexander, leader of Dundee City Council, said: “Our region has an incredible amount to offer, from rural walks and ancient castles to dolphins and an international museum of design in V&A Dundee.

“Our strength is in our partnerships and this campaign will help potential visitors find out about the wealth of attractions located throughout Scotland’s Tay Country and plan their stay here.

“This venture showcases Tay Country in a way that allows people to design a stay to give them rich experiences. We are uniquely placed to cater for pretty much every type of visitor and our message could not be clearer, don’t let your only regret be that you didn’t visit us.”

Councillor Altany Craik, Fife Council said: “We welcome this collaborative approach which is set to put our stunning part of the country firmly on the visitor map. Scotland’s Tay Country offers the huge number of visitors expected to visit V&A Dundee an opportunity to experience an exciting blend of city, culture, coast and countryside. We’ve got it all.”

Perth & Kinross Council Leader Councillor Murray Lyle, said: “Scotland’s Tay Country is a welcome addition to the individual campaigns being undertaken by local authorities, showcasing the wider offering across Tayside and Fife. The River Tay connects our areas and helps identify a very distinct corner of Scotland, where there are many opportunities to enjoy a place that is steeped in history.

“Culture fans will be keen to visit Perth Theatre, Perth Museum and Art Gallery, Birnam Arts or Pitlochry Festival Theatre, while those preferring an active break will revel in the biking, hiking, kayaking, rafting and riding available in the stunning Perthshire scenery. Scotland’s Tay country will take you on a real journey.”

Find out more at www.taycountry.uk and click here to watch a promo video.

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

VisitScotland Growth Fund

• The VisitScotland Growth Fund supports collaborative tourism marketing projects which focus on growth and ensure that visitors experience why Scotland Is Now.
• To be eligible for a Growth Fund award, applicants must place a strong emphasis on digital marketing and the creation of digital content assets. They are also encouraged to align themselves with Scotland’s themed years, including the 2018 Year of Young People. More information at www.visitscotland.org/growthfund

2018 Year of Young People

• The Year of Young People (YoYP 2018) will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally
• Central to YoYP 2018 will be a celebratory events programme that puts young people at the heart of its development and delivery, creating new and valuable experiences for young Scots and the wider public, with links to the inaugural 2018 European Championships.
• Over 200 young people throughout Scotland are currently being recruited to become YoYP 2018 Ambassadors. Ambassadors will ensure that people and organisations in their communities know about what’s happening and will lead on projects and activities to create events and opportunities to celebrate young people.
• The Year of Young People will have six themes which were developed in co-production with young people themselves:
• Participation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
• Education – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
• Health and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
• Equality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
• Enterprise and regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live
• Culture – celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
• Further information on what’s happening and how people can get involved can be found on the new website www.yoyp2018.scot or @YOYP2018 on Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT

Chelsea Charles
Press Contact
Special Projects Communications Manager
Themed Years
Chelsea.Charles@Eventscotland.org
0131 472 2067

SOURCE: VisitScotland

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