VisitScotland eUpdate - May 2008
Welcome to the fifth eUpdate of the year which features a wide range of articles which we hope you will find of interest.
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14/05/2008
A new visitor guide for Moray was launched last month by VisitScotland. More...15/05/2008
Neo-Folk-Rock Singer/Songwriter Sandi Thom will be opening the inaugural COAST Festival of the Visual Arts taking place in Banff and Macduff on 23 to 26 May this year. More...15/05/2008
Braemar Castle re-opened to visitors earlier this month after being closed to the public since 2005. More...15/05/2008
Grampian Food Forum is looking for at least five companies from Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray to exhibit in a Grampian branded area at the forthcoming BBC Good Food Show in Glasgow. More...15/05/2008
The deadline for accommodation businesses signing up to the Marketing Opportunities for 2008/09 is 30 May. More...14/05/2008
This year's winner of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival's Student Chef Competition is nineteen-year-old Jill Urquhart from Fordyce. More...16/05/2008
Aberdeen Convention Bureau, in partnership with Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, Perth Convention Bureau and the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre, held a successful ‘Energy Breakfast’ event at the IMEX Tradeshow in Frankfurt earlier this month. More...15/05/2008
EventScotland, the national events agency, has announced that three events in Aberdeen City and Shire have been successful through the latest round of its Regional Events Programme. More...15/05/2008
EventScotland, Scotland’s national events agency, has announced that Dundee’s Fest ‘n’ Furious event has been successful in the latest round of its Regional Events Programme. More...15/05/2008
The Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa is delighted be one of the first companies in Dundee to win the HealthyLiving accolade for Metro Brasserie & Bar. More...15/05/2008
Forth Valley attractions have had another strong year in the newly published Visitor Attraction Monitor, led by a big increase in visits to the Falkirk Wheel. More...05/05/2008
Stirling and Loch Lomond have been highlighted to worldwide buyers as a top business tourism destination as part of the Scotland Means Business biannual workshop. More...19/05/2008
KIT-OUT the Park would like to invite you to its first Loch Lomond Food Clinic, an informal free drop-in event being held on Wednesday on 4th June at The Cruin Bar & Restaurant on Loch Lomond. More...05/05/2008
Access to Iona from the mainland is set to get a lot faster this month, as Oban’s Seafari Adventures launches a new daily tour to the island using a brand new 12 passenger boat. More...15/05/2008
A new chapter in Clackmannanshire’s development as a tourism destination has begun with the opening of a new TIC at Sterling Mills earlier this month. More...15/05/2008
Visitor attractions in Ayrshire and Arran enjoyed over a 7% growth in visitor numbers in 2007 compared with 2006, according to VisitScotland’s Scottish Visitor Attraction Monitor. More...15/05/2008
VisitScotland’s Business Tourism Unit has hosted its biannual workshop, Scotland Means Business. The purpose of this initiative was to increase awareness and enhance the status of Scotland as a world-class destination for meetings, incentive travel and corporate hospitality. More...15/05/2008
Glasgow Prestwick Airport’s performance in March signalled a strong end to the 2007/08 financial year. More...16/05/2008
VisitScotland introduced Appetite for Ayrshire for the first time in April with 22 local businesses participating and it has proved a success for those businesses who took part. More...16/05/2008
From Wednesday 18 June until Friday 20 June Arran will host some top class journalists in the VisitScotland Media Adventure Challenge. With mountains, moors, standing stones, beautiful beaches and historic castles, Arran is the perfect host for this increasingly popular event. More...15/05/2008
VisitScotland’s Business Tourism Unit would like to invite you to its Southern Region networking event, specifically aimed at businesses involved in the meetings and incentive sector across Southern Scotland More...15/05/2008
The Scottish Borders Tourism Partnership recently met at Lochcarron of Scotland in Selkirk and discussed. More...15/05/2008
The 2008 Scottish Borders Awards, supported by principal sponsor Thus, aim to showcase the best in the Borders. It is both a celebration of the achievements of businesses, individuals and community groups and an opportunity to showcase how each of these has contributed to the success of the Scottish Borders as a whole. More...15/05/2008
An update on the switch-over from analogue to digital TV. More...15/05/2008
Reigning Junior Brain Rory Changleng from Kingsland Primary School in Peebles took his entire Primary 5 class of 32 pupils on a special trip to Historic Scotland’s Jedburgh Abbey. The trip was part of the prize awarded to Rory following his victory in the Junior Brain of the Borders Grand Final last December. More...15/05/2008
A new season is now upon us and a reminder to all accommodation providers to make sure that you have updated your prices and availability on your own web entry on www.visitscotland.com. More...15/05/2008
EventScotland, the national events agency, has announced that three events in Dumfries & Galloway have been successful through Round 9 of its Regional Events Programme. More...15/05/2008
VisitScotland regularly do updates to journalists and have features of the month on its website. The local team always like to feature new angles within seasonal customer mailings so let us know your news and updates so we can pass it on. More...15/05/2008
Edinburgh and the Lothians were highlighted as a top business tourism destination as part of the recent Scotland Means Business (SMB) biannual workshop. More...16/05/2008
Robert Conway, Chair of the East Lothian Tourism Forum welcomes all tourism business in the area to attend the Forum’s next meeting which takes place on Thursday 29th May. More...15/05/2008
Edinburgh has been nominated one of the top 10 destinations in Europe and in the top 30 best destinations in the world in a recent consumer survey by TripAdvisor. More...15/05/2008
The Emirates Airline Edinburgh Sevens returns to the capital for a weekend Festival of Rugby. More...16/05/2008
East Lothian is hosting the US Kids Golf European Championship from May 27th until May 30th 2008. More...15/05/2008
Belfast building wrap promotes low cost flights and city breaks to Edinburgh More...16/05/2008
Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton, three very picturesque harbours, are joining together again this year to stage the 3 harbours arts festival. More...20/05/2008
The first flight on the new Delta Airlines New York JFK – Edinburgh route landed at Edinburgh airport at the beginning of May. More...15/05/2008
Cambo Estate in St Andrews has reported another bumper ‘snowdrop season’ this year, thanks in part to VisitScotland’s Snowdrop Festival, with both visitor numbers and income up on last year’s figures. More...15/05/2008
Fife was highlighted as a top business tourism destination earlier this month during the recent Scotland Means Business (SMB) biannual workshop held on the shores of Loch Lomond. More...14/05/2008
Pride & Passion are running a ‘Discovery Tour’ in and around St Andrews to help build and update local knowledge of what the area has to offer visitors. More...14/05/2008
It’s been a very good year for visitor attractions throughout Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley, as VisitScotland’s annual Visitor Attraction Monitor reveals that the area has the highest level of visits in Scotland — even if you don’t count Kelvingrove. More...15/05/2008
This year’s VisitScotland Expo saw our first ever Brazilian group come to Scotland, and their experience has resulted in some brand new cities programmes for Brazilian visitors. More...14/05/2008
The latest phase of our marketing campaign with easyJet has taken the message about Glasgow city breaks to Belfast, where we decided to make sure the message was very hard to miss... More...15/05/2008
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce has a new Chief Executive. More...05/05/2008
Some of the country’s leading experts on audience development in the arts will be in Glasgow next month for this year’s Glasgow Grows Audiences conference at the National Piping Centre on Friday 6 June. More...14/05/2008
Visitor attractions in the Highlands of Scotland enjoyed a 1.3% growth in visitor numbers in 2007 compared with 2006, according to VisitScotland’s Scottish Visitor Attraction Monitor, which was announced last week. More...14/05/2008
The Mey Selections brand has scooped two awards at the premier Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards 2008. The two awards are; best example of Collaboration in Supply Chain and Best Range of Conserves and Preserves. More...14/05/2008
The winning entry in the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Whisky Cocktail Competition 2008 was created by bartender Andrzej Sakowicz of Deseo Restaurant in The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire. More...14/05/2008
The Highland Council has appointed a new Gaelic Development Manager to spearhead its promotion of the Gaelic language and culture. He is Donald MacNeill, a native Gaelic speaker who has wide experience in the public sector and in the media. More...14/05/2008
He has braved the Siberian tundra, cooked in the African desert and spent time in a galaxy far, far away only to confirm the maxim: there is no place like home. Ewan McGregor, has chosen Camusdarach beach near Arisaig, as his favourite spot on earth. More...14/05/2008
The Glendale Gathering and Skye Storytelling Festival 2008 returns to the north western corner of Skye this month for the eighteenth consecutive year. More...12/05/2008
Visitor attractions in Orkney saw more visitors in 2007 than 2006 according to a recent survey. More...14/05/2008
Guarantee a lively build up to the summer with these dates for your diary. More...20/05/2008
VisitScotland are pleased to announce that Mary Ann MacIver has recently been appointed as Islands Manager for the Outer Hebrides. More...14/05/2008
Harris is being promoted as an attractive holiday destination across the Atlantic as part of a three month campaign run by VisitScotland. More...14/05/2008
Outer Hebrides visitor attractions enjoyed a 0.5% growth in visitor numbers in 2007 compared with 2006, according to VisitScotland’s Scottish Visitor Attraction Monitor. More...14/05/2008
Harris Tweed Hebrides are delighted to celebrate the revival of Harris Tweed, it has been announced that the first order to be produced since the company reopened the mill will be sent to Russia. More...15/05/2008
Visitor attractions in Perthshire enjoyed a 4.4% growth in visitor numbers in 2007 compared with 2006. More...15/05/2008
Perthshire has been highlighted as a top business tourism destination as part of the Scotland Means Business (SMB) biannual workshop. More...15/05/2008
EventScotland, the national events agency, has announced that two festivals of music in Perth and Kinross have been successful in the latest round of its Regional Events Programme. More...16/05/2008
Visitors to the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre and Wildlife Reserve near Dunkeld can expect even better views of the breeding ospreys thanks to two new developments on the site due to be revealed officially this Wednesday (21 May 2008). More...12/05/2008
Shetland's visitor attractions saw more visitors in 2007 than 2006, according to a recent survey. More...14/05/2008
Shetland's Food Festival will be bigger and better than ever this year thanks to a recent successful bid for funding. More...12/05/2008
Shetland will feature highly in the minds of many potential visitors from Holland this year thanks to promotion of the islands at VisitScotland Expo. More...13/05/2008
Shetland's summer festivals are nearly upon us. More...13/05/2008
VisitShetland will host the launch of the latest book on Shetland next month, from renowned travel writer Ron McMillan. More...15/05/2008
Last year over 45 million visits were made to Scottish attractions, according to VisitScotland’s Scottish Visitor Attraction Monitor. More...15/05/2008
During the second half of May a major survey of businesses who are involved in tourism will be undertaken by independent market research company TNS Travel & Tourism. More...16/05/2008
A Scotland Means Business workshop, an exhibition in Frankfurt and a BusinessFirst event in New York have all seen VisitScotland’s Business Tourism Unit (BTU) in action recently. More...15/05/2008
Content on visitscotland.org is constantly being updated. These are the main areas of new content loaded recently. More...14/05/2008
Homecoming Scotland 2009 will consist of a programme of exciting and inspirational events and activities across Scotland throughout the year. More...16/05/2008
Details of a campaign run in partnership with the police service to advise businesses on their awareness of potential security risks. More...15/05/2008
Information on the new Small Business Bonus Scheme introduced by the Scottish Government and how businesses can apply for it. More...19/05/2008
VisitScotland's PR team are looking for your new and interesting food stories to play a part in their campaigns to highlight Scotland's great cuisine. More...15/05/2008
Stay ahead of what’s happening in Scotland and how to pass on information to your visitors about events they can experience. More...15/05/2008
Music fans are being asked to nominate the best live music performances seen and heard in Scotland. More...15/05/2008
A reminder to businesses wishing to update their details on visitscotland.com. More...15/05/2008
VisitScotland’s travel trade programme gives you the opportunity to target hundreds of thousands of potential visitors at major exhibitions such as World Travel Market, Travel Trade Britain, Best of British and of course our own flagship event, VisitScotland expo. More...19/05/2008
Find out how tourism businesses can develop alongside the industry's ambition for sector growth. More...19/05/2008
The latest Tomorrow's World scenario planning briefing looks at sports tourism and we say goodbye to VisitScotland's scenario planner Ian Yeoman. More...20/05/2008
An update on VisitScotland's restructure. More...19/05/2008
People 1st have organised an employers' meeting to look at the position of apprentice training in the tourism industry. More...19/05/2008
Brush up your cultural product knowledge ready for Homecoming 2009 with a new CD-based course developed by Scottish Agricultural College with the assistance of members of Alloway Burns Club. More...15/05/2008
There are just over two weeks to go before the closing date for entries to this year’s Scottish Thistle Awards at midnight on Thursday 5th June. More...20/05/2008
Spanish football giants Barcelona return to Scotland for their pre-season training in a repeat of their successful visit in 2007. More...19/05/2008
Forget the environmental impact of gas-guzzling 4x4s, smoking factories and that most hated target of green campaigners the world over – the aeroplane. More...20/05/2008
Thinking green is now well and truly a core part of business strategy throughout the food industry. Suppliers and retailers are finding they can help keep a lid on soaring costs by making changes in the way they produce, distribute and package their products. More...19/05/2008
The Scottish Government wants to say a big thank you for helping to make Scotland greener. Whether you’ve signed up to 1 or all 10 steps, each will contribute to achieving a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren. More... | 
