A look ahead to 2012 and beyond by Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland
Who would believe it? Latest statistics have shown that Scotland welcomed 4 per cent more people than for the same period last year and that’s before we even said hello to our new VIPs (Very Important Pandas).
January 1, 2012, marks the beginning of “The Winning Years” – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the face of our industry. As Chairman of VisitScotland, I want to invite tourism businesses and communities throughout Scotland to get involved and to capitalise on what will be, if we all pull together, a momentous period for Scotland’s biggest industry.
Nobody does Hogmanay quite like us here in Scotland and 2012 will start with a bang as our celebrations herald the Year of Creative Scotland – a celebration of our fantastic culture, arts and music. Additionally, the Olympic Games will provide us with a platform to present our culture to the world, as well as encouraging people to Scotland from a crowded south of England.
Next summer will also see the global release of Disney-Pixar’s animated movie Brave. Starring the voices of some of Scotland’s finest actors, including Billy Connolly, Kelly MacDonald, Robbie Coltrane, Craig Ferguson and Kevin McKidd, Brave may the biggest film and tourism opportunity ever to hit Scotland.
A magical story based in rugged, mystic Scotland, this family blockbuster will position our nation across the world to the next generation of visitors. Indeed, it will position Scotland globally like no other.
Next year is also the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and with Scotland boasting so many wonderful Royal visitor attractions, this is a fantastic opportunity to capitalise on the popularity among visitors of all things royal. Then looking further ahead to 2014, two of the greatest sporting events on earth, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, will focus the eyes of the world on our nation.
Across Scottish Government, we are all dedicated to harnessing the power of the Winning Years and to win for Scotland. We at VisitScotland will be selling our country as a must-see tourism destination as hard as we can across the world, bidding for conferences, bidding for new sports and cultural events, and supporting industry however and wherever we can.
Tourism is Scotland’s biggest industry and tough though the recession has been, surely this is our opportunity to drive Scottish tourism beyond recession to win real market share from competing nations. Frankly though, the Winning Years can only be delivered if everyone works together – from the smallest B&B to the biggest resort hotel. We need to make tourism the hero of the Scottish economy.
What’s more, with so much to see and do across Scotland over the next few years, my hope is that everyone will enjoy the Winning Years and discover new things to see and do across our magnificent country.
So join us. Get involved and grasp this amazing opportunity. Perhaps we can all be winners during Scotland’s Winning Years.
Mike Cantlay
Chairman of VisitScotland
