chief executive's statement
I hardly recognise the organisation I started to lead a year ago. We still have the same strategy, the same talented people, and the same goal to grow the Scottish economy - but the way we attack it has changed.
Change has been really good for VisitScotland. Not only have we worked with the industry to get tourism on the business agenda like never before - but we are fleeter of foot, capturing opportunities and working more closely with the industry than ever before.
As the national tourism organisation, we must continue to make sure we are competitive on the world stage and that we continue to address the issues of seasonality, making Scotland a year-round destination.
The Surprise Yourself campaign, in particular, addresses this challenge so we have a seamless year-round campaign which still brings in seasonal elements. Surprise Yourself, which is fronted by a series of stunning new television adverts and which has already enjoyed hugely positive feedback, builds on regional strengths - highlighting some of the fantastic things to see and do across Scotland. The campaign is a worthy successor to our Senses campaign, which has proved a great success over the past eight years.
In terms of our international marketing campaigns, the drive is very much about geographical spread so the benefits of tourism are felt across the entire country. We have shown a consistency in our approach by building on the I am a Scot and Meet the Scots campaigns.
Business Tourism presents us with a real opportunity to fill the low periods with high-value meetings and corporate events. It is an industry worth more than £800 million to the Scottish economy. Not only are we working closely with city marketing organisations, but we are also working with representatives of other regions throughout Scotland to ensure that they are part of the overall mix. With world-class facilities and hotels, combined with stunning scenery, a rich cultural heritage and superb food and drink, Scotland is the perfect setting for meetings and conferences.
We have seen a very strong performance from EventScotland, not only in attracting international events, such as the World Gymnastics Championships and the Mobos, but in developing a strong programme of regional and local events as part of our events strategy.
Likewise, the local marketing teams have delivered a strong programme of activity, dovetailing with the UK team enhancing the rich product that we have available at local level. The VisitScotland Information Centre network is in its third year of transformation, with more sites having been rebranded, moving towards partnership working within communities and working with public sector bodies.
The work of our Quality Advisors in ensuring that the Scotland meets the needs of our more sophisticated and demanding visitors has proved so successful that a number of destinations, including Sweden and Northern Ireland, have contacted VisitScotland to deliver, in one way or another, this successful formula.
But at VisitScotland, we cannot rest on our laurels. We know that, economically, times remain tough and we must always strive to improve what we do, both internally and externally, on a continuous basis. The next three years, when our years of Creative, Natural and Homecoming, as well as the Ryder Cup, the Commonwealth Games and the movie Brave give Scotland an amazing opportunity to be in the global spotlight, give us a clear focus on what we need to do to maximise the opportunities for tourism in Scotland.
Of course, VisitScotland can't do this on its own, meaning that partnership working is absolutely crucial to the way we work. We look forward to continuing our work with the Destination Management Organisations and local authorities locally and at a national level with our sister agencies such as Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and indeed the Scottish Government as part of an overall Team Scotland approach.
No matter where one works, or in which Department, we are all part of one team with one aim and that is to maximise the sustainable economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
Thank you for your support over the last 12 months and I know that together we will continue to deliver with and for Scottish tourism.
