VisitScotland launches interactive map showcasing Falkirk

EDINBURGH, Scotland, 2018-May-07 — /Travel PR News/ — An interactive map showcasing what to see and do in Falkirk and the surrounding area has been launched by VisitScotland.

Falkirk & Beyond, developed by the national tourism organization and VisitFalkirk within Falkirk Council, offers prospective visitors a fun way to discover much of the area’s tourism offering. The map is the first of its kind and it is hoped it will inspire people to plan and book their trip to Falkirk.

Available through visitscotland.com and shareable across all channels, the map includes eight toggle categories, including activities, history and heritage and food and drink. These can be turned on and off depending on a user’s particular interests. Each category highlights local businesses with pop-ups, which include an image, description and a link to more information on visitfalkirk.com.

The pop-ups for the Falkirk Wheel and Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway, which both have four star gradings from VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance Scheme, include short films which promote the attractions in a fun and engaging way.

The map also features a more information section which includes a short description about Falkirk and four videos showcasing the area’s attractions, heritage, nightlife and family activities. Two of the videos came from a successful online video campaign by Falkirk Delivers and VisitFalkirk last year which received £18,300 from VisitScotland’s Growth Fund and helped people discover the wide array of things to see and do in the area.

By highlighting the vast range of activities available, it is hoped the map will encourage people to visit Falkirk for more than a day. This supports the Tourism Falkirk 2020 strategy which aims to increase overnight visitor accommodation in the Falkirk area by 20% between 2015 and 2020.

Jim Clarkson, VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director, said: “Many visitors drawn by the profile of the Falkirk Wheel or the Kelpies aren’t aware of just how much there is to see and do in the compact area of Falkirk, so this new interactive map is a fun way of encouraging them to plan a longer stay in the area, stay overnight and pack much more into their stay.

“Partnership and collaboration is at the heart of Scottish tourism, and we’re delighted to continue our joint marketing activity with VisitFalkirk with this latest initiative to grow the local visitor economy.”

Douglas Duff, Head of Economic Development and Planning at Falkirk Council, said: “We are extremely grateful to VisitScotland in supporting us to help further promote the area for tourism. We are delighted to be the first area in Scotland that they have developed such an innovative guide for. Tourism has become a major growth sector for the Falkirk area and we are keen to ensure we continue to work closely with VisitScotland to ensure the Falkirk area is recognised as a two to three day destination.”

The Falkirk Tourism 2020 strategy aims to make Falkirk a destination of first choice for high, quality, value for money and world class attractions offering memorable customer experiences, delivered by skilled and passionate people.

To view the map go to www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/loch-lomond-trossachs-stirling-forth-valley/falkirk-map/

ENDS

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.

SOURCE: VisitScotland

MEDIA CONTACT
Grant Anderson
Corporate Press Officer – Regional
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife, Argyll and the Isles, Falkirk, Stirlingshire
grant.anderson@visitscotland.com
0131 472 2416

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