Included in this update:
Welcome to 
the first regional update of the year. In this update, we look back at our key activity in the last quarter of 2022.
Our industry continues to adjust to tough new financial circumstances and it's clear that these will continue to impact in the year ahead. But there is much to build on and we remain committed to doing what we can to support the industry, whether that’s bringing people to Scotland, offering support and guidance to businesses, or creating opportunities for growth and investment.
Our marketing, funding and business support activities are all aimed at building on these shoots of recovery to support the responsible growth of our industry.
It's been a busy period in Loch Lomond, Trossachs, Stirling and Forth Valley, from the launch of our film guide to the region’s first tourism industry networking event since 2019 and much more.
Find out more about how our work is helping to support the ambitions of the national tourism strategy, Scotland Outlook 2030, for Scotland to be a world leader in 21st century tourism.
In November, we launched our updated Set in Scotland guide. The 52-page guide includes more than 150 films and features 17 films shot in Loch Lomond, The Trossachs & Forth Valley. Download the Set in Scotland Guide.
This campaign highlights "kids for a quid" tickets with Scotrail and entry to participating attractions in LLTFV. Running until the end of March, check out the toolkit on how you can submit an offer.
Some new and updated content added to VisitScotland.com featuring LLTFV
Funded by VisitFalkirk in partnership with Falkirk Community Trust and Scottish Canals we ran an autumn social media campaign targeting adventure seekers, engaged sightseers and natural advocates in Scotland and north England. Adverts directed people to visitfalkirk.com resulting in over 13,000 web visits and 242,000 views of a Falkirk video featuring things to do and places to stay in the area.
Our Corporate PR team work closely with Scottish and UK media to raise awareness of our work to promote LLTFV to visitors and support for industry.
Some of the highlights include:
The launch of our Great Days Out in Scotland campaign featuring Blackness Castle, Divergent Games Escape Rooms, Doune Castle and Stirling Castle
Our new film guide Set in Scotland featuring films shot in LLTFV. These include Mary Queen of Scots (2019), The Eagle (2011) and the Holy Grail (1975) to name a few
The results of the Scottish Agritourism Growth Tracker, an important sector in LLTFV, highlighting the value and future opportunities for farms and rural communities
We celebrated four regional winners at the Scottish Thistle Regional Awards
A press release supporting the Forth Valley industry networking event
Der Whisky-Botschafter (whisky magazine) published a feature including Deanston Distillery, the Kelpies and Stirling Castle.
Stirling Castle featured in a round-up of castles across Scotland in US publication - Travel + Leisure. Take a look on the Travel + Leisure website.
Stirling Castle was featured as one of the "fun destinations in Scotland" by sohu.com (reach: 127,680,000) and one of the "cultural destination" on ttc.org.cn (reach: 1,100)
Stirling Christmas market featured across these four Chinese publications / websites:
We hosted a late night shopping and networking event in December. Some of our retail suppliers and local attractions - Doune Castle and The Steamship Sir Walter Scott at Loch Katrine joined us. Carol singers from the Christmas tree light switch on also joined us, creating a wonderful festive atmosphere.
Feedback from locals and exhibitors was positive. We're already looking ahead to plan village events this year!
In December we took part in the Go Forth Christmas Window Competition with 26 businesses around the city taking part. We showcased some of the amazing products that are available in the iCentre as part of our display. And, it was also fun dressing our window up to incorporate a winter theme for people to come and enjoy. Locals voted for their favourite window, and we made it through to the second round.
Well done to Keepsake Scotland who had the most votes for the best window!
Good luck to all the Thistle Award finalists from the region who will go on to compete at the Scottish Thistle Awards National Final on 9 February 2023 at Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
Regional Thistle Winners. Image credit - Chris Watt Photography.
You can browse the 2022/2023 National Finalists on the Scottish Thistle Awards website.
Tanuki Tales event in Clackmannanshire was one of the many events supported by the Year of Stories Community Stories Fund.
The events were promoted across various newspaper titles in October as well as display ads, social media posts and online articles.
We partnered with News UK and Reach PLC to showcase a range of attractions through a series of online articles. The attractions featured were all part of our current Great Days Out campaign.
A series of articles went live across a range of national and regional newspapers. Doune Castle, Stirling Old Town Jail and The Japanese Gardens all featured in The Sun. Doune Castle also featured in an online article in the Daily Record.
A media partnership with The List ran from March to November 2022 to promote the Year of Stories events programme. It included articles, e-newsletters, display ads and social posts. Events highlighted in October and November included Tales from the Castle which took place in Stirling.
The new Stirling XP app collaboration between Stirling Council, BT and Seymour Powell featured within our Year of Stories case study on new initiatives and campaigns created by tour operators and attractions across Scotland. Take a look.
LLTFV on our social channels (October - December)
3.53 million
Number of times LLTFV content reached people on their social channels
182,000 engagements
Reactions, likes, comments, shares and saves on LLTFV posts
Reach of 575,000
Top performing post by reach was a striking shot of The Kelpies on Facebook