Visit Scotland | Alba

This directorate plays a key role in delivering our responsible tourism ambition. It has a strategic focus on inclusive and sustainable growth.

Through a data and insight-led approach, we ensure that Scotland is discoverable in key markets. We target the channels visitors are using for travel inspiration, planning, and booking to drive the visitor economy.

Key priorities include:

  • regional and seasonal visitor spread, resulting in a positive impact in communities and destinations across Scotland
  • working collaboratively with industry stakeholders
  • inspiring and influencing visitors to make responsible choices
  • ensuring diversity and inclusion across all our platforms and activities
  • promoting the natural and cultural heritage of Scotland and the protection of it for future generations
  • supporting businesses to reach international markets by providing more of the right products and experiences bookable in market through their channels of choice

In this article:

Director of Marketing and Digital - Jill Walker

With a career spanning both the public and private sector,  Jill has a wealth of experience in marketing and digital strategy and joined VisitScotland in October 2024.

Jill was most recently Head of Marketing at the Scottish Government, where she was responsible for the direction and delivery of Scotland's most high profile and cutting-edge marketing and digital strategies to support Scottish Government policy.

Prior to joining the Scottish Government, Jill worked within leading advertising agencies in Scotland and London and set up her own marketing agency, Family in 2009.

Brand and Global Marketing

Reporting directly into Jill Walker, this department consists of four teams: Design, Multimedia, Global Marketing, and PR. Each team plays a pivotal role in driving responsible growth of the visitor economy through:

  • guardianship of our destination brand
  • close working with industry and sectors
  • our associated marketing activation, including partnership marketing activity for both business-to-consumer and business-to-business

The team is responsible for:

  • providing strategic leadership
  • innovation across all elements of brand identity, creative, and marketing delivery

Through collaboration and in-house expertise, the teams also deliver strategic projects and programmes. This is both across our organisation and with wider strategic partners. The latter includes leading on our involvement in the Brand Scotland partnership.

Business Development and Intermediary Marketing

Led by Denise Hill, this department focuses on ensuring that demand for Scotland is converted into actual visits. It makes sure visitors are able to find the products and experiences they are looking for via the booking channels they prefer and trust.

The team is focused on:

  • growing Scotland’s share of the global travel market by understanding the needs of consumers so that businesses can develop products to meet future demand
  • working with sector and destination partners, deliver a programme of tailored product and place-focused support, including webinars, workshops, platform and channel introductions
  • providing one-to-many, free to access support and advice, including specialist inclusive and net zero support
  • partnership working with travel intermediaries and businesses to drive forward the decarbonisation of the supply chain
  • helping Scottish tourism businesses to be travel trade ready and to internationalise
  • partnership work with airlines and ferry partners to ensure access is maintained and capacity further developed to support growth from current and future markets

Business Events

Neil Brownlee leads the business events team. The team's aim is to drive Scotland’s economic and social progress through business events. These include conventions, corporate meetings, incentive groups and product launches.

The focus of the team is to:

  • secure business events for Scotland from around the world, notably from North America, Germany, France, Spain and the rest of the UK.
  • help attract business events which are related to Scotland’s key growth sectors. These include life sciences, fintech, digital, energy and food and drink. 
  • work in partnership with the city convention bureaus of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, and Aberdeen
  • work with key venues, hotels and academic centres of excellence

Digital Delivery

Led by Allan Henderson, this department consists of the following specialist technical teams:

  • User Experience (UX)
  • Solutions Architecture
  • Project & Programme Management
  • Web Operations

Together, these teams cover the complete software development lifecycle. They work in cross-functional Agile teams within the Scrum methodology.

This department delivers a portfolio of strategic digital programmes across VisitScotland. This includes the flagship websites visitscotland.com and VisitScotland.org. They work along with marketing, data, events, and business process improvement projects.

Performance Marketing

Led by Leanne Mallon, this department is formed of digital and data marketing experts across:

  • content
  • social media and influencer marketing
  • performance media
  • search engine optimisation
  • email marketing
  • marketing automation

They're responsible for the planning, delivery, optimisation, and performance of our digital channels. The department also delivers a programme of continuous marketing activity. This results in the creation of integrated visitor journeys to build engagement and advocacy.

Related links

Industry and Events Directorate

This directorate supports destinations, sectors and businesses to help develop a strong and dynamic tourism and events industry for Scotland.

Our team

Find out about our directorates and meet our Board, Chair, and Chief Executive.