Influential tourism buyers from Germany and the Netherlands visited Shetland last week, as part of a major tourism drive to position the islands as a must visit destination for consumers from emerging tourism markets.
The trip was organised by VisitScotland to showcase the islands to travel operators from around the world in collaboration with the annual business-to-business event VisitScotland Expo.
Two Shetland businesses attended VisitScotland Expo in Aberdeen last week, where around 250 suppliers of tourism products from all over Scotland were exhibiting, including accommodation providers, transport operators, restaurants, and visitor attractions.
The Shetland exhibitors were Saxa Vord in Unst and Sumburgh Hotel.
Up to 1,000 buyers from all sectors of the tourism industry – travel writers, coach tour operators, group travel organisers, conference and event organisers, wedding planners, travel agents and independent tour operators and wholesalers - attended the event.
The buyers came from diverse markets throughout the world including Europe, USA, the Far East, Australia, and of course the UK, and this year will include three new buyers from Brazil.
Andy Steven, Islands Manager for VisitShetland, said: “Expo is a great opportunity to show these influential buyers exactly what Shetland has to offer. As we work towards our shared tourism industry ambition to increase revenues by 50 per cent by 2015, attracting visitors from emerging markets like Russia, Brazil and the former Eastern Europe will be crucial. VisitScotland Expo also gives businesses in Shetland a chance to sell directly to hundreds of other buyers from the UK and around the world.”
