VisitScotland Growth Fund supports Golf Perthshire Family Golf initiative

EDINBURGH, Scotland, 2018-May-07 — /Travel PR News/ — A rising star in the world of golf, who first teed off at the age of three, is helping celebrate a new campaign which will offer free golf sessions to under-18s.

Bradley Neil, one of Scotland’s most promising young golfers, was joined by children from Crieff and St Dominic’s Primary Schools for a fun putting session at Crieff Golf Club to mark Golf Perthshire’s funding boost from the VisitScotland Growth Fund.

The group has been awarded £10,725 to support a new family-focused tourism project.

The Golf Perthshire Family Golf initiative will provide a unique offering of free golf for under 18s, with a paying adult, along with the introduction of family tickets throughout the area, and is backed by local golf clubs.

Golf Perthshire want to put the region on the map as the perfect destination to spend time golfing with the kids, sharing the beauty of the outdoors, creating lifelong memories and spending quality time together. And away from the golf course, the campaign will show why Perthshire is already one of the most popular areas in Scotland for family holidays, where you can soak up the history, enjoy stunning views as you walk or cycle through forests and woodlands or push yourself to the limit kayaking, white-water rafting or canyoning.

As well as offering family incentives, the campaign will feature a series of short promotional videos to highlight Perthshire’s perks. The campaign comes as Perthshire prepares to play host to both the European Golf Team Championships in August and The 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles next September, both of which will help position the region as a family-friendly golf events and tourism destination, on a global stage.

The funding announcement comes as Scotland marks the Year of Young People in 2018. YOYP celebrates the younger generations’ achievements, values their contributions to communities and creates new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally

Golf Perthshire is a collaboration of golf clubs and accommodation providers, which aims to enhance Perthshire’s reputation as a golf destination and increase golf tourism spend.

The most recent Golf Visitor Survey commissioned by VisitScotland and Scottish Enterprise in 2016 demonstrated that Perthshire performed slightly better than the rest of the country attractingvisiting female golfers with 20% against the national average of 12%.

Golf tourism is worth more than £286 million to the country annually, supporting 4,400 jobs, with Scotland known around the world as the Home of Golf.

Bradley Neil, a European Tour rookie this season, said: “I’m delighted to support this great initiative from Golf Perthshire. Having grown up playing my golf in Perthshire at Blairgowrie Golf Club, I have a real fondness for the area and its superb variety of courses, as well as its many other attractions.

“For Perthshire golf clubs to be offering free golf for under-18s when playing with green fee paying adults is brilliant and I hope it attracts more golfers to the fairways of the region. From challenging 18-hole courses to fun 9-holers, Perthshire has so much to offer.”

Allan Minto, Project Manager at Golf Perthshire, said: “Perthshire is recognised as one of the most popular areas in Scotland for family holidays due to its fantastic choice of fun outdoor activities and attractions.

“Our aim is for Perthshire to be known as one of the world’s most family friendly golf destinations, with great incentives to make the game more accessible and affordable to families holidaying in the area. Quality time spent together on the course, combined with exciting activities on our lochs, rivers and mountains will create unforgettable family experiences and lifelong memories together.

“We’re grateful for VisitScotland’s Growth Fund award, which will enable us to create inspiring new digital content and reach out to a much wider audience.”

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “Golf is a key driver for tourism so it is great to see this campaign reaching out to other markets within the sport. VisitScotland’s Growth Fund will help Golf Perthshire achieve their goal and we are delighted to support them. Partnership and collaboration is at the heart of Scottish tourism and VisitScotland works with local industry to develop and deliver innovative initiatives that grow the visitor economy.”

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

2018 Year of Young People

• The Year of Young People 2018 will be the next of the Scottish Government’s series of themed years, following the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017.
• 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:
• oParticipation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
• oEducation – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
• oHealth and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
• oEquality 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.
• oEnterprise 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
• oCulture – 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.
• VisitScotland Growth Fund

• The VisitScotland Growth Fund supports collaborative tourism marketing projects which focus on growth and ensure that visitors experience the true Spirit of Scotland.
• 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

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

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