Tourism timeline

25 July

A voluntary Scottish Tourist Board (STB) was set up in 1946 and consisted of representatives of the main organisations in Scotland with an interest in tourism, together with four people appointed by the Secretary of State. This STB had no statutory powers and was based in a former church in Rutland Place.

A recognition of the importance of tourism to the UK economy resulted in The Development of Tourism Act (1969), which came into force on 25 July 1969.

The STB’s remit was:

• To promote or undertake publicity in any form
• To provide advisory and information services
• To promote and undertake research
• To establish committees to advise the Board in the performance of its functions
• To contribute to or reimburse expenditure incurred by any other person or organisation in carrying on any activity which the Board has power to carry on

In September, Sir Hector MacLennan (pictured middle) was appointed as Chairman of the STB on a salary of £3,000 per year. He was an eminent gynaecologist.

Lester Borley (pictured left) was appointed the first Chief Executive of the Scottish Tourist Board (STB) from 1 January 1970-1975.

Seven Regional Tourist Associations were proposed; to co-operate with the STB in the interest of promoting and developing Scottish tourism and, specifically in their own area, to provide information services for visitors. They were:

1. Highlands and Islands
2. North East
3. East Central
4. West
5. Edinburgh and Lothians
6. Borders
7. South West

STB’s first limited UK advertising scheme took place. It featured off-season travel ideas and appeared in January, February and March in magazines "chosen for the effectiveness of their circulation".

The 1970 Commonwealth Games was held in Edinburgh from 16 – 25 July. This was the first time metric units rather than imperial units were used in all events and was the first time the Games were held in Scotland.

The first international tourism figures for Scotland were released:

In March, April and May, the "A Taste of Scotland" pilot scheme was developed to promote Scottish food, drink, products, events and attractions. A publication was produced to accompany this. Promotion was mainly via travel trade and PR to 21 cities across the US.

In May, the first Regional Information Centre was opened at Whitesands in Dumfries.

The STB main campaign "A World of Difference" was launched – this would continue until 1977.

The "Book a Bed Ahead" scheme (BABA) was piloted and extended in 1974.

The first domestic figures for Scotland were unveiled. Domestic (UK resident) overnight visitors to Scotland:

The first "gateway" Information Centre was opened at Southwaite on the M6 south of Carlisle in partnership with the English Tourist Board along with a further three national centres at Prestwick, Glasgow and Edinburgh airports.

Robin MacLellan was appointed STB Chairman.

Phillipe Taylor (formerly from the British Tourist Authority) took over as STB Chief Executive.

"Planning for Tourism in Scotland – a Preliminary National Strategy" was published by the STB in August. This suggested preliminary guidelines for tourism policy in Scotland over the next five years. The report was in two main parts.

The first part analysed the main factors influencing tourism policies and the second set out tentative policy guidelines. These included:

• A new emphasis on existing resorts and other centres
• A series of major self-catering holiday villages
• A series of heritage projects
• A second all-year resort on the scale of Aviemore

New Tourist Information Centre in Edinburgh opened, jointly funded by Edinburgh District Council.

The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) was founded as the leading source of knowledge on holiday letting and holiday homes in Scotland.

The STB published a strategy in which they said that future growth in Scottish tourism was dependent on three key areas:

• Overseas markets – priority must be given to increased information about holiday opportunities in Scotland
• Rate of investment in tourism accommodation and facilities must be sustained and improved
• The need to make Scotland more accessible

In March 1980, Alan R. Devereux was appointed as the new Scottish Tourist Board (STB) Chairman. He stayed until 1990.

Scotland’s Travel Trade Fair was held at Ingliston in Edinburgh. The event attracted 180 exhibitors and approximately 80 UK travel agents and tour operators. The British Tourist Authority (BTA) brought 120 overseas buyers to the event.

Rebranded in 2002 to VisitScotland Expo, the event has become Scotland’s world-class, annual travel trade showcase, attracting hundreds of buyers from across the world.

Dr David Pattison, former Head of Tourism at Highlands and Islands Development Board was appointed new Chief Executive of the STB.

New "Scotland’s For Me" campaign began - a major TV campaign aimed at boosting activity and family holidays. Larry Hagman (most known for DALLAS) and comedian Rod Hull and Emu joined the call to holiday in Scotland.

A comprehensive Area Tourist Board (ATB) network was established with 32 ATBs. Seven districts didn't participate at the outset, and a further three district councils, including Edinburgh, chose to retain their autonomy over tourism matters in their area.

The Tourism (Overseas Promotion) (Scotland) Act allowed the STB direct access to overseas markets for the first time.

A new verified classification and grading scheme was introduced by Area Operations staff for accommodation.

Welcome to Scotland signs were erected on the main road crossings into Scotland.

In January, the "Surprising Scotland" theme was launched to 37 million. The TV, poster and advertising "teaser" campaign highlighted attractive aspects of holidaying linked to overcoming widely held misconceptions about Scotland.

In February, Geoffrey Hare (pictured left) was appointed the new STB Chief Executive.

The SCOTS Agents training programme was launched and originally open to travel agents in the US and Canada. In the summer of 2007, the programme was adapted to make it global and there are now qualified agents worldwide.

St Kilda was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The STB won an ASH Award from the Scottish Committee for Action on Smoking and Health for its contribution to the campaign for a healthier Scotland by including non-smoking symbols in its accommodation guides.

By 1987 tourism had become Scotland’s number one industry, sustaining 130,000 jobs and bringing £2 billion to the economy. This was despite a difficult 1986, when there were panic cancellations on the back of the Libyan crisis and Chernobyl incident. Businesses recovered strongly in the following months.

In June, Tom M. Band was appointed as new STB Chief Executive.

"Scotland - A Different Holiday Every Day" marketing slogan was launched to underline the infinite variety of activities offered by a Scottish holiday. It was aimed at 35-55 year-old married couples living in north and south-east England, holidaying with or without dependent children.

On behalf of the industry STB continued to campaign in key areas:

Direct flights – the frequency and quality of direct services to Scotland was challenged.

Unleaded petrol – high proportion of European visitors to Scotland requiring unleaded petrol prompted STB to campaign for a price differential in favour of the fuel. The Chancellor of the Exchequer introduced this in his spring Budget encouraging petrol distributors to extend the network of unleaded petrol supplies.

The Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) was established to support and inspire Scottish visitor attractions to deliver sustainable and world class experiences, through the sharing of best practice. 

In December, Nevis Range opened to the public. The Nevis Range Mountain Gondola – the only of its kind in the UK – is a year-round visitor attraction transporting visitors to 650m on the mountain of Aonach Mor. As well as offering winter sports, the Nevis Range is an internationally acclaimed venue for mountain biking, having hosted major events such as the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.

Ian Grant (pictured right) was appointed as Scottish Tourist Board (STB) Chairman.

The STB agreed on a strategy for improving information and facilities for disabled visitors to Scotland following the publication of the "Tourism for All" report.

Glasgow became European City of Culture. Regarded to be a game-changer for the city, it catapulted Glasgow into the cultural limelight.

Direct flights between Chicago and Glasgow International Airport were introduced. 

Inauguration of full electric train service on British Rail's East Coast Main Line between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley. The reduced travel time stimulated tourism to Scotland from the south of England.

STB’s Eagle-eyed TV advert was released. It featured a father and son pair of eagles deciding to migrate for the first time to Scotland – most shots give an “eagle-eyed” view of Scotland from above.

First Scottish Thistle Awards held in Glasgow to recognise and celebrate excellence in the Scottish tourism industry. Actress Dame Diana Rigg presented future VisitScotland Chairman Mike Cantlay with Young Manager of the Year award.

The Fergusson Gallery opened in Perth in what was once the city’s waterworks building. It provided a permanent home to the world's largest collection of artworks produced by the renowned Scottish artist, John Duncan Fergusson, one of the most influential and important Scottish artists of the 20th century.

The Secretary of State for Scotland gave the go-ahead to reshape the role of the STB as the lead agency for tourism in Scotland.

A new National Strategic Plan for Tourism was produced by the STB setting out challenges, opportunities and threats facing Scottish tourism.

The Area Tourist Boards (ATB) were to be reduced to 14 by 1996 and to become statutory bodies. The STB would have responsibility for all ATBs – in the past some were responsible to Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Derek Reid took over in April as STB Chief Executive.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay became a fully organised event, delivering great musical acts, a massive party area and fantastic midnight fireworks. It has since become one of the world's greatest New Year celebrations.

The first Celtic Connections Festival brought together 35,000 people to celebrate Celtic culture using all available spaces in The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

The first French consumer campaign was launched featuring poster advertising on buses, SNCF (trains), Metro stations and prime outdoor sites in the Paris metropolitan area. The slogan "Entre Légende et Réalité" became the message through which "The Brand Scotland" was presented for the first time.

The first German consumer campaign was launched. Scotland was presented as an active and "different" destination using wording that was both colourful and amusing.

The movie Braveheart based on the life of Scots national hero William Wallace was released. Decades later, it is still cited by visitors as one of the inspirations behind their decision to visit Scotland. A report the following year showed that the film had generated up to £15 million more in tourism revenue for the Scottish economy.

Rob Roy was also released this year.

Old and New Towns of Edinburgh were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The "Autumn Gold" initiative was launched to stimulate domestic tourism to Scotland in October and November. It generated £9.7 million.

Tom Buncle took over as STB Chief Executive.

Following the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1994, 14 ATBs were established.

Loch Ness movie was released starring Ted Danson and Joely Richardson who attended an event with the Highland Council.

STB’s Wild Mountain Thyme TV advert was first aired. The soundtrack was Wild Mountain Thyme by Scottish band The Silencers. It focused on a woman travelling by train to Scotland and a man surfing and travelling by car interspersed with images of Scotland such as castles, salmon and a family in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh poet Norman MacCaig appeared on screen with his voiceover reading a line from one of his poems Only men's minds could have unmapped into abstraction such a territory”.

The new Quality Assurance Scheme was launched. The star ratings replaced the previous crown scheme. By 1997/98 it was shown to be driving up standards across Scotland.

The Clyde Auditorium opened in Glasgow. The architecture of this unique 3,000-seat conference and events space set the tone for the city’s progressive approach to architecture along the banks of the Clyde. Affectionately known as The Armadillo, it’s become one of the city’s most celebrated landmarks.

The first ever Tartan Day Parade was held in New York on 6 April 1998. The Parade was established to mark the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, and has grown from strength to strength, enjoyed by thousands of marchers and spectators every year. 

Lord Gordon of Strathblane became the new STB chairman.

The new building of the National Museum of Scotland opened, telling the nation’s history from earliest times to the present day. Sitting adjacent to the original Victorian building, the new building was designed to suggest a modern interpretation of a Scottish castle.

Having been decommissioned following a farewell tour of the UK in 1997, The Royal Yacht Britannia opened to the public as a visitor attraction the following year.

The National Mining Museum Scotland opened at Newtongrange. The Lady Victoria Colliery is one of the finest surviving examples of a Victorian colliery in Europe.

Our Dynamic Earth opened in Edinburgh. The first Landmark Millennium Commission project to open in the UK, it was designed as a focal point in the regeneration of Edinburgh’s Old Town, and a unique cultural and scientific learning resource.

The Heart of Neolithic Orkney was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The designation included Maes Howe, the Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar and the prehistoric village of Skara Brae.

Glasgow was crowned UK City of Architecture and Design 1999. This saw a yearlong programme of major events and the opening of The Lighthouse.

On 12 May The Scottish Parliament convened for the first time. This had direct responsibility for tourism and its funding, however, there was not a Minister for Tourism – this came under the remit of the Minister of Enterprise and Lifelong Learning (Henry McLeish).

The Scottish Parliament produced "A New Strategy for Tourism". This set a target of 14.3 million tourist visits by 2005 with revenue from tourism of £3.1 billion. The 1990s had shown minimal growth in the numbers of tourist trips – 11.5 million in 1989 and 11.8 million in 1998. It noted that there was a growth in "cash-rich, time-poor" travellers resulting in more frequent, shorter holidays, especially in urban areas.

Inverness was announced as Scotland’s newest city.

In July, Henry McLeish, then Enterprise Minister in the Scottish Parliament instigated a management review of the Scottish Tourist Board (STB). This recommended that the STB underwent a process of reinvention under new leadership and with more effective partnerships. As a result, the STB was rebranded VisitScotland in 2001.

Peter Lederer became the new STB Chairman and remained in post until 2010.

The single most expensive print advert the STB ever purchased was bought in the Christmas special issue of the Radio Times, featuring a map of Scotland and boxes to tick to request brochures for every area of Scotland. This so-called "tick box" advert cost £120,000.

Peter McKinlay became Interim STB Chief Executive in December.

The foot and mouth crisis affected tourism particularly badly in the south of Scotland resulting in a major marketing investment, including the first investment in 7stanes. 9/11 impacted airline travel throughout the world - predominantly from the US.

We estimated losses from foot and mouth would reach £350 million, while the terrorist attacks would account for estimated losses of £150 million.

Our spring into summer campaign launched and generated £19.1 million additional expenditure.

The Scottish Tourism Forum was incorporated as a limited company by guarantee in January 2001. The name was changed on July 2012 to the Scottish Tourism Alliance.

Philip Riddle became VisitScotland Chief Executive in August 2001. 

Our current Chief Executive Malcolm Roughead joined VisitScotland as Director of Marketing in May.

The £75 million Glasgow Science Centre opened featuring a Science Mall, IMAX theatre, the Glasgow Tower and more than 300 exhibits.

New Lanark was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 18th century village was acclaimed as offering a unique insight into an important period of Scotland’s industrial heritage and the progressive thinking of the mill village’s manager Robert Owen.

A new ancestral tourism strategy and a dedicated website were launched to encourage potential visitors from across the world to come to Scotland to explore their Scottish ancestry.

The popular "Senses" UK consumer campaign was launched in spring, promoting the ways in which a holiday in Scotland brings the senses alive. The campaign proved a major success, running for nine years.

Three versions of the advert were produced to encourage year-round visits to Scotland from the UK market. It generated many enquiries from the public about the music featured in the advertisements.

The inaugural UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup was held at the Nevis Range in Fort William. The multi-award winning event has gone from strength to strength and is now a firm favourite on the sporting calendar.

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs was designated as a National Park – the first National Park in Scotland. We supported the opening by coordinating and delivering a TV advertising campaign on behalf of strategic partners.

Stirling was granted city status in an announcement coinciding with HM the Queen’s Golden Jubilee year.

The Falkirk Wheel opened. The world’s first revolving boat lift made it possible for visitors to take a boat trip connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal using less energy than it takes to boil a kettle. We worked with Scottish Canals, Falkirk Council and other partners to promote the new attractions, including delivery of a TV advertising campaign aimed at the domestic market.

A public private partnership (between VisitScotland and Schlumberger Sema) was set up to run visitscotland.com - initially under the trading name of eTourism Ltd.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown was published. Seen by some as controversial, the book’s main characters find themselves at Rosslyn Chapel and, as a result, the Chapel itself came to worldwide attention.

The "longest poster" saw us take over a London Waterloo Underground station and fill every advertising slot with a single stunning panoramic image of the Highlands, with a timeline showing how you could enjoy a perfect day.

The Cairngorms National Park was officially opened on 1 September by Liz Hanna, the great, great granddaughter of John Muir, founder of the National Park movement. At 3,800 square kilometres, the Cairngorms is the UK's biggest National Park, and features one of Scotland’s five highest mountains and 43 Munros.

EventScotland was set up in November 2003 to raise Scotland's reputation as the perfect stage by supporting and securing a portfolio of events and developing the industry. One of its first supported events was the 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards held near Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh became the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature. The idea was conceived by a group of city book lovers who came up with the idea of approaching UNESCO to form a global network of creative cities. Nearly 30 cities have since been inspired by the example set by Edinburgh.

The "Welcome to Our Life" campaign launched in European markets. It spanned city breaks and touring mailers and adverts and lasted through to 2007.

Following extensive consultation, the Tourism (Scotland) Bill Consultation Paper proposed the new VisitScotland network was established as one single national tourism network with 14 area offices, effective on 1 April 2005. VisitScotland and the 14 Area Tourist Boards (ATBs) were to merge.

The new VisitScotland head office opened at Ocean Point, Edinburgh.

The Challenge Fund (the forerunner to the current Growth Fund) was launched to encourage collaborative tourism marketing campaigns across Scotland. Groups of businesses were awarded up to 40% of costs towards agreed marketing campaigns. The first round saw 28 successful groups awarded a total funding of £281,706.

Following the re-organisation of 14 ATBs into one national body, five core activities were highlighted:

• Providing strategic direction to the industry
• Marketing Scotland and its tourism assets worldwide
• Providing information and inspiration to visitors so they can experience the best of Scotland
• Providing Quality Assurance to visitors and quality advice to industry partners to make sure the industry meets or exceeds visitors’ expectations
• Promoting partnerships across the industry to make sure we all reap the economic benefits of collective effort

The Tourist Board (Scotland) Act 2006 came into force on 1 April 2007, formally changing the name of the Scottish Tourist Board to VisitScotland.

The Shetland Museum and Archives opened in Lerwick. This initiative brought the extensive and rich collections of both Shetland Museum and Shetland Archives together under one roof for the first time, to tell the fascinating story of Shetland’s heritage and culture.

EventScotland relaunched Scotland’s only Ladies European Tour golf tournament, the Ladies Scottish Open in Gullane.

"Date a Hot Scot" launched in the UK and across 13 countries in seven languages.

The proposition was fun and innovative; namely the opportunity to go online, check out our most eligible "Hot Scots", vote for your favourite and win a dream trip to Scotland to meet him, his fellow Hot Scots, and experience Scotland’s warmth of hospitality, stunning scenery and vibrant cities. Stuart Duncan was voted the Hot Scot.

The first "Winter White" campaign launched (November 2007 – March 2008) encouraging visitors to explore the beauty of Scotland during the winter months, enjoying accommodation deals, winter sports, wildlife watching and country breaks. It went on to win several prestigious marketing awards and boosted the economy by more than £46 million.

The Antonine Wall, part of the ancient Roman lines near Falkirk, was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Glasgow was designated as a UNESCO City of Music.

Our new Growth Fund launched (replacing the Challenge Fund). Round one was delivered on 21 August.

Scotland’s first Themed Year - Scotland’s Year of Homecoming – took place throughout 2009. The Year featured a programme of more than 400 events and activities to encourage those with Scottish roots, or who felt a particular affinity with Scotland, to visit. 

It proved to be a great success with 72,000 visitors coming to Scotland exclusively as a result of the campaign, generating £53.7 million in additional tourism revenue, 22% above target.

Our "Perfect Day" campaign launched in "silver spot" slot in cinemas – aimed specifically at London audiences to show them how they could spend a ‘Perfect Day’ in Scotland.

It delivered more than £70 million for the Scottish economy, generating £35 for every £1 invested, making it the "most successful seasonal marketing campaign ever".

Galloway Forest Park was officially unveiled as the first Dark Sky Park in the UK, boosting tourism in south west Scotland.

In April an ash cloud from Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull caused chaos in Europe and affected VisitScotland Expo, with buyers stranded. Tourism businesses rallied to show true Scottish hospitality to ensure those unable to fly home enjoyed a comfortable extended stay in Scotland.

Mike Cantlay was appointed VisitScotland Chairman from 1 April.

In September, Malcolm Roughead was appointed VisitScotland Chief Executive.

Our "Meet the Scots" campaign first launched in European markets and was later rolled out into long haul markets. It became our first ever pan-regional campaign across all international markets. It had a budget of £1.25 million and generated nearly £97 million additional expenditure in 2010.

The campaign focused on the passion of more than 20 different Scots ambassadors who each represented a different theme associated with Scottish tourism such as food and drink, Scottish culture and the activity and events sectors.

In December, the £21 million Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, South Ayrshire opened.

The Year of Active Scotland saw Scots residents and visitors alike encouraged to get active in Scotland’s great outdoors. Activities ranged from world-renowned walking and mountain biking to adrenaline-pumping activities such as kite surfing and canyoning.

The "Surprise Yourself" campaign was launched, including new television adverts to highlight some of the fantastic things to see and do across Scotland. This continued through to 2013. The campaign aimed to celebrate and remind people about all the great things Scotland could offer for a holiday, but also challenge stereotypes and show the wide range of activities and attractions people could enjoy in addition to our renowned beautiful scenery.

The 2011-2012 campaign generated an additional £68 million for the visitor economy from a dedicated budget of £2.78 million.

Scotland’s programme of Themed Years continued with the Year of Creative Scotland 2012. The nation’s creative industries were platformed under a number of pillars, as well as featuring a packed events and festivals programme. 

A partnership with Disney Pixar for the animated film Brave saw us run a £5 million campaign to promote Scotland through everything from the world premiere of the film to TV adverts.   

Conference Bid Fund launched: £2 million national fund aimed at attracting more business tourism to Scotland over three years. Glasgow was the first city to prosper.

In 2013 all standalone regional websites (13) were brought under visitscotland.com allowing all regional content to be viewed on one site.

Year of Natural Scotland 2013 – Scotland’s outstanding natural beauty was celebrated throughout the year. Promotions featured stunning natural landscapes, surprising wildlife, art inspired by nature and delicious, locally produced food and drink.

Shetland ponies in jumpers photoshoot and video was released as part of the Year of Natural Scotland. Said to be our first viral campaign, it received global recognition.  

In September, the £125 million SSE Hydro opened in Glasgow providing the city and Scotland with a brand-new entertainment venue built to accommodate world class events.

Launch of the Taste Our Best scheme. Established as the latest addition to our Quality Assurance Scheme programme, it was introduced to bring together the tourism and food and drink industries in Scotland following the publication of research which showed visitors are prepared to pay up to 15% more for produce of Scottish or regional origin.

Having been completed in October 2013, the Kelpies opened to the public in April 2014.

The year when "Scotland Welcomes the World!". The year provided a unique platform to shine a global light on Scotland.

A main focus was the Year of Homecoming 2014 consisting of more than 1,000 events, attended by 4.6 million people. This second Year of Homecoming built on the success of the 2009 initiative.

Glasgow played host to the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Scotland also hosted The 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, only the second time that the biggest golf event in the world has taken place in Scotland (first time was at Muirfield in 1973).

The 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games received acclaim for its organisation, attendance, and the public enthusiasm of the people of Scotland, with Commonwealth Games Federation Chief Executive Mike Hooper hailing them as "the standout games in the history of the movement".

The Renfrewshire town of Paisley was the only UK starting point for the Monte Carlo Rally – a tradition it has upheld every year since.

Our "Brilliant Moments" campaign was launched, enticing visitors from across the UK to discover their own brilliant moments in Scotland. The campaign was designed to complement the programme of high profile events taking place across the year.

The Outlander TV series first aired in the US. Based on the books by author Diana Gabaldon and inspired by events surrounding the Jacobite Uprisings, the series was an immediate hit with US consumers, and kickstarted a strong boost in visitor numbers to Historic Scotland and National Trust for Scotland attractions featured in the show, as well as the real-life locations involved in the story.

The new Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre outside Stirling opened its doors for the first time on 1 March. Developed in partnership between the National Trust for Scotland and Historic Scotland, the centre was created to deliver a world-class immersive experience in time for the Battle's 700th anniversary.

Dundee was designated as the UK’s first UNESCO City of Design.

In December, we announced three new female Board members to achieve a gender balanced Board for the first time.

North Coast 500 was launched. This route, billed as the ultimate road trip, starts and finishes in Inverness and takes in around 500 miles.

Scotland celebrated the Year of Food and Drink with a year-long programme of events and activities that shone a spotlight on Scotland’s natural larder. The growing reputation of Scotland’s restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs resulted in a visitor spend of almost £1 billion on food and drink during the year.

The Forth Bridge was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Following a competitive process, Scotland was awarded the 2019 Solheim Cup ahead of Sweden. The event will take place at Gleneagles, making the venue the only European golf resort to have hosted both the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup.

The Borders Railway opened on 9 September. This £294 million project re-established a 30-mile section of the former Waverley line, linking Edinburgh and Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders, via Midlothian.

As part of the Borders Railway Blueprint partnership, we saught to maximise benefits from the new Borders Railway. £367,000 was invested in a unique three-year (2015-2017) national and international marketing campaign to put the new Railway on the map. The funding was provided by Scottish Borders Council and Midlothian Council, with match funding from the Scottish Government.

Scotland’s Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design 2016 saw the nation celebrate Scotland’s achievements across these three important fields. More than a million people attended events during the Year.

In February, we brought the "Scotland - a spirit of its own" campaign to life in our first ever global campaign and social movement.

• Over 66 million potential visitors worldwide viewed the ‘Spirit’ films and documentaries
• #ScotSpirit was a major success with 1,000 daily uses by national and international visitors, businesses and locals
• Unprecedented engagement across our social media channels with followers averaging an increase of 100%
• ScotSpirit holidays in collaboration with the Family Holiday Association saw more than 300 people from disadvantaged backgrounds —including 200 children —receive a much-needed break as a result
• iKnow online community and trip planner launched
• VIP (VisitScotland Information Partner) Programme launched – supporting businesses in giving out information to customers and showcasing their unique local knowledge
• 7 out of 10 businesses in Scotland stated they were aware of the campaign

Our first Coo Van arrived on 21 April 2016 and was on display at VisitScotland Expo at the Royal Highland Show, Edinburgh.

Launch of Scotland’s new Ambassador Network for our business events team - Innovate the Nation. A series of talks showcasing Scottish expertise across the nation.

John Thurso was appointed VisitScotland Chairman on 1 April 2016.

In February, Scotland was named the most beautiful country in the world by Rough Guides, beating Canada, New Zealand and Finland.

We celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Thistle Awards.

Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology celebrated important places across Scotland including UNESCO World Heritage Sites, ancient monuments, listed buildings and battlefields. It also captured our cultural traditions, captivating myths, stories and legends.

Visits to Historic Environment Scotland locations hit a record high of 5 million and overseas visitors to Scotland were up 16.9% to 3.2 million.

In April, The Hebridean Way was launched. This dedicated long-distance walking route connecting the islands of the Outer Hebrides offers visitors an exciting new way to discover island life and explore the unique character of each island in the archipelago. The 156-mile Way takes in 10 islands, six causeways and two ferry crossings.

A European-first collaboration between ourselves and TripAdvisor saw Scotland’s world-class tourism offering promoted to almost 70 million new potential visitors, generating a potential additional spend of £150 million.

Shop Local launched after the success of the pilot the previous year. Our retail team worked closely with our Information Centre network to deliver an exceptional in-store experience, providing customers with a quality range of Scottish themed literature, food and gifts.  

Edinburgh marked the 70th anniversary of the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Film Festival.

The Queensferry Crossing opened, making it the third bridge over the River Forth, joining the 1970s road bridge and the iconic Victorian rail bridge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In October, we launched a strategy to address the diverse transformation in the way visitors access information on what to see and do while in the country. Following a 58% drop in footfall, a two-year programme to streamline the number of our Information Centres to 26 in high impact areas was announced.

In November, Scotland’s first-ever business events digital campaign "Legends" was launched in collaboration with all of Scotland’s Convention Bureaux, transforming the global messaging of Scotland to the world. Our Business Events team won an ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) Best Marketing Award 2018 for the campaign in November 2018.

Year of Young People 2018 was a global first, providing a platform to showcase the personalities, talents and achievements of Scotland's young people.

The Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) was launched on 30 March in response to overtourism issues. Administered by VisitScotland, the Fund supports sustainable, well planned, inspiring and collaborative infrastructure projects to enable more visitors to enjoy Scotland’s rural communities.

In April, an exciting new initiative bringing together the Scottish Government, VisitScotland, Scottish Development International and Universities Scotland was launched via the ‘Scotland is Now’ campaign to promote the country globally.

A ground-breaking augmented reality app that invites the world to step into Scotland was created in close collaboration with Google as part of the global campaign.

Dundee was named in the top ten Best in Europe places to visit cementing its place as a thriving new city to visit - and building on its UNESCO City of Design Award in 2014.

In September, the V&A Museum of Design Dundee opened its doors. As Scotland’s first design museum it tells a global story, investigating the international importance of design alongside Scotland’s outstanding design achievements. It welcomed its 100,000th visitor three weeks after opening to the public.

The Macallan Distillery and Visitor Centre opened on 5 June. The venue unveiled its new £140 million distillery and visitor centre, designed by internationally-acclaimed architects, Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners. The project took more than three years and will allow production to increase by about a third.

Our Quality Assurance Scheme awarded the venue five stars in November.

The Highlands and Islands (including Outer Hebrides, Moray Speyside and Aberdeenshire) was named a top 10 region in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2019.

International Passenger Survey figures were released for 2017 in Scotland. They revealed that international tourism was booming, with visits up 17% on 2016, with 3.2 million overall visits, and spend up 23% to £2.27 billion during the same period.

Our 50th anniversary celebrations kicked off in March during Scottish Tourism Month with a new research paper exploring what tourism could look like 50 years from now. Robot butlers and midge haggis were highlighted as possible novelties to expect in 2069.

Outlander author Diana Gabaldon received a special "International Contribution to Scottish Tourism" award at our Scottish Thistle Awards, in March to mark our 50th anniversary. A VisitScotland study revealed that attractions used in the popular television adaptation of her famous novels have seen visitor numbers soar by 67% since 2013, from 887,000 to 1.5 million.

Scotland declared its enduring relationship with Europe in a heartfelt message to demonstrate that Scotland is open on the original date that the UK had planned to leave the EU. The latest chapter in the global marketing campaign, Scotland Is Now, launched on 29 March 2019 with a simple, powerful message: "Europe, let’s continue our love affair". By April it had reached over 20 million Europeans.

Shetland was named by travel authority Lonely Planet as one of the top must-see destinations for international travellers in Europe this year. It was listed at number six in its top 10 "Best in Europe" destinations for 2019 – the only UK destination to be included.

The world’s first-ever Highland Coosmonaut was launched into "near space" as part of a new tourism campaign to celebrate Scotland’s connection to the first Moonwalk and our 50th year. BuzzBò, a heroic cuddly toy Highland coo, was named by primary school competition winner Peter Lunan, and sent almost 40,000 metres into the stratosphere wearing a Clan Armstrong tartan spacesuit.

We asked the public to vote for what they considered to be the biggest catalyst for bringing visitors to Scotland in the last 50 years and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games bagged the top spot. Glasgow was also named the top cultural and creative centre in the UK in a report from the European Commission.

In September, Scotland hosted the biggest event in women’s golf, the Solheim Cup at Gleneagles. The event saw Team Europe, captained by Scottish golfer Catriona Matthew, triumph Team USA in one of the fiercest rivalries in sport. Delivered by VisitScotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, the 2019 Solheim Cup had record crowds of over 90,000 making it the highest attended women’s golf event ever held in the UK.

The National Wallace Monument in Stirling celebrated its 150th anniversary on 11 September. Statistics revealed that since the landmark opened its doors in 1869 it has welcomed an estimated 9 million visitors from countries across the globe.

Our "Only in Scotland" marketing drive launched in October, shining a spotlight on the unique experiences the country has to offer and continued to push for more sustainable growth of the industry. The next chapter of the "Scotland is Now" campaign reinforces the country’s position as a warm, welcoming and creative nation and is the result of extensive visitor research.

China became a priority visitor market for us in 2019 and we revealed first of its kind research into what Chinese holidaymakers think of Scotland in October. The national tourism organisation released data with new insights on the market and followed up with our biggest Business Development Mission to China, taking 17 Scottish businesses to the country for key meetings, in November.

The full event programme for the Year of Coasts and Waters 2020 – Scotland’s next Themed Year – was unveiled in November with 50 days to go until the New Year.

Working in partnership with Scottish Government, British Cycling, UK Sport, Glasgow City Council, we secured the right to host the inaugural Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Cycling World Championships in August 2023. 

Our new Themed Year, Year of Coasts and Waters 2020, launched to showcase and celebrate Scotland’s Coasts and Waters with a programme of activity designed to support the nation’s tourism and events sectors. Activity was later paused and restarted in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first part of the "Scotland Is Now" European campaign reached more than 80 million Europeans. The second phase launched in January 2020.

The South of Scotland featured in its first ever regional TV advertising campaign across Channel 4, thanks to a partnership with Expedia.

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, we brought together key players in the industry to respond to the crisis. The STERG group (Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group) met regularly to look at the impact on the industry.

Scotland and much of the world went into lockdown on 23 March. Travel was suspended, businesses shut, and staff worked from home.

We initially paused all proactive paid-for marketing activity and focused on supporting tourism and events businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic. This included: 

• communicating Scottish Government advice and guidance to tourism and event businesses 

• delivering funding to tourism and events businesses and later Scottish Government-funded projects under the Tourism Recovery Programme Overall, we delivered more than £115 million in funding to more than 3,000 businesses 

• chairing the Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group (STERG) and establishing the Event Industry Advisory Group (EIAG). 

• chairing a Visitor Management Strategy Steering Group to respond to issues which emerged after restrictions were eased in summer 2020 

The tourism industry re-opened (with restrictions) in July and VisitScotland marked this by launching a £3 million marketing campaign aimed at the domestic market.

Virtual travel trade event, Scotland Reconnect 2020 took place in November. The event saw 264 international travel agents and tour operators ("buyers") from 23 countries meet with 240 Scottish tourism businesses, operators, and destination organisations online.

In November, we became the first national tourism organisation in the world to sign up to the Tourism Declares initiative aimed at finding solutions to the climate crisis. The initiative aims to encourage positive contributions toward addressing climate change.

The year began with the country in lockdown and the tourism and events sector was once again unable to operate as normal.

In March, we launched a responsible tourism campaign to raise awareness of the importance of exploring the outdoors responsibly.

Also in March, the First Minister announced a new £25 million tourism recovery programme. Projects included international demand building, the ScotSpirit Holiday Voucher Scheme, Destination Net Zero and the Scottish Tourism Observatory.

The tourism industry re-opened in April after a series of lockdowns.

The underlying strength of the tourism industry was demonstrated by Scotland Reconnect 2021, an online travel trade event which saw over 7,000 pre-arranged business meetings take place over three days. Almost 390 buyers from 26 countries connected virtually with almost 300 Scottish suppliers for business meetings aimed at booking and creating tour packages for future visitors.

In June, we launched our first Scottish Gaelic toolkit to help the tourism industry to build upon the lure of the language with visitors. The asset highlights ways to use Gaelic and its culture to create a more immersive visitor experience such as teaching staff some basic phrases and translating place names to reveal their Gaelic origins and meanings.

A new purpose-built Great Tapestry of Scotland gallery, visitor centre, cafe and workshop space opened in Galashiels, Scottish Borders, in August. It achieved 5-star Quality Assured status in January 2022.

The size and scale of Scotland’s agritourism sector was measured for the first time in a census of farms, crofts, and estates. The annual growth tracker with Scottish Agritourism shows the diversification, innovation and entrepreneurialism within the industry.

New whisky visitor experience, Johnnie Walker Princes Street, opened in Edinburgh in September. It‘s the centrepiece of Diageo’s £185 million investment in Scottish whisky tourism, which also includes the transformation of the company’s distillery visitor experiences the length and breadth of Scotland.

"Scotland is Calling", our first global campaign since the beginning of the pandemic, was launched in October. It rolled out to key markets to support the recovery of the tourism and events industry.

In October, the world’s first ever UNESCO trail, bringing together some of Scotland’s most iconic, diverse and culturally significant sites, was launched. The digital trail – which is available on visitscotland.com/unesco-trail – provides information and inspiration to visitors across the world. 

The Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, Ivan McKee MSP announced the reappointment of Lord John Thurso as Chair of the Board of VisitScotland.

COP26 (Conference of Parties), the 2021 United Nations climate change conference, was held in Glasgow, turning the eyes of the world to Scotland. VisitScotland helped to draft the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism which was launched at COP26. It calls for decisive action to be taken to reach net zero emissions.

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 caused the cancellation of some events and further restrictions on tourism businesses.

In response to the impact of Omicron, we delivered more funds on behalf of the Scottish Government. A total of £27.5 million was paid out to 2,257 businesses working in tourism and events.

Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022 began. The Themed Year, with its focus on communities, saw the return of in-person events in a nationwide programme. A range of partners from national organisations to community groups delivered the programme spotlighting wealth of stories inspired by, written, or created in Scotland.

The Burrell Collection in Glasgow was reopened in March after a major refurbishment.

Dandelion - Scotland's contribution to UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, a nationwide programme of creative events and engagement, began in March. It invited people all over the country to get growing, sharing and celebrating food, music, and ideas, in and with their communities. Over 580,000 people took part in the programme.

Dunfermline in Fife was named Scotland’s newest city in May as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

2022 marked a momentous year for the Scottish golf and tourism industry as five of the world’s biggest and most prestigious golf tournaments returned home to Scotland. In total, 421,000 spectators watched 748 world class players tee off.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire on 8 September and the United Kingdom went into mourning. The Queen was taken to lie in state at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh before her funeral took place in London.

Scotland’s status as a leading world destination was demonstrated once again when the South of Scotland was named one of Lonely Planet's Best in Travel destinations for 2023. The Scottish Highlands was later named as one of National Geographic’s "Best of the World" destinations for 2023. The publication revealed that the region is one of only two UK destinations to make the annual list.

After a break of three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scottish Thistle Awards National Final returned to Edinburgh International Conference Centre in February. The awards celebrate the best in tourism and events, with a focus on responsible tourism.

In February we relaunched our consumer website, visitscotland.com. This was a significant, complex and lengthy project driven by insights with the long-term goal of helping the sustainable growth of Scottish tourism.

The Burrell Collection is named as Art Fund Museum of the Year 2023 at a ceremony in London, and on the BBC.

The inaugural 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships brought together 13 existing UCI World Championships into a new mega event in Glasgow and across Scotland from 3 to 13 August 2023. It had more than 8,000 cyclists and para-cyclists from over 120 countries taking part.

It had over a million attendees, and more than 1.5 billion people reached through media coverage. The event generated £344 million of incremental spend resulting in gross value economic impact. Read the impact full report.

A new Gaelic Tourism Strategy for Scotland 2024 - 2029 (Ro-innleachd turasachd na Gàidhlig do dh’Alba 2024 - 2029) launched. The strategy is aimed at delivering authentic and memorable visitor experiences by celebrating Gaelic culture, heritage and language.

The Perth Museum opened its doors on 30 March 2024 after a £27 million redevelopment project. This world-class cultural and heritage attraction highlights the fascinating objects and stories that put Perth and Kinross at the centre of Scotland’s story. At its heart sits the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone.

Stephen Leckie was appointed Chair of VisitScotland on 1 April 2024.

May saw the launch of Scotland's refreshed National Events Strategy 2024-2035 designed to provide strategic focus for all involved in the planning, securing, and delivery of events across Scotland.

Vicki Miller became Chief Executive of VisitScotland on 1 October 2024