Visit Scotland | Alba
Article published 19/10/2023

Our global reach

We provide a mix of inspiration and planning information to influence future visitors year-round.

This marketing activity influences trip plans with ideas for off-season travel, destinations to visit, and things to see and do. 

This helps to encourage seasonal and regional spread for a global audience.

In this article:

Key statistics | year-round

Over 211 million

People reached through our global social media channels

Over 11 million

People use visitscotland.com annually

Over 6 million

People reached through influencer activity

30+ million emails

Sent by us to consumers each year

Quarter two activity

(July – September 2023)

Summer was the time for a well-earned break. Insights told us that visitors are increasingly seeking authentic experiences. They also want to discover and support local businesses.

This coincides with the trend for wellness in travel continuing to build. The latest consumer insights show that visitor travel motivations include:

  • getting away from it all
  • connecting with nature
  • self-improvement activities that support physical and mental health

Our summer activity needed to reflect this. Over the summer, we focused our messaging on the topics of "local spotlights", "wellness", and "city breaks".

 

As we moved into the shoulder season our messaging evolved into autumn breaks. We encouraged domestic and short-haul audiences to visit Scotland during this time. This supported seasonal spread.

By meeting our audience needs with content they're looking for we can take them on their customer journey, which ends in them visiting Scotland.

Marketing calendar | our seasonal focus for winter and beyond

Our marketing calendar shows the themes we’ll focus on each season based on what we know consumers are looking for.

We're always on the lookout for exciting and inspiring experiences to feature in activity. Get in touch if you have a product or experience, we could include.

Browse the calendar

visitscotland.com

We re-launched visitscotland.com in February. It’s designed to highlight everything the country has to offer in terms of experiences, accommodation and food and drink. Content is available in English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, and Italian.

Blogging from a first-person perspective

Since 2014, Google has determined the quality of our content using the guidelines “Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness" (E-A-T).

It most recently added in another “E”, for “Experience”. This means Google values first-hand or life experience. It implies there may be 'reward' for pages where an author has actually experienced what they’re writing about.

Our content and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) team have been working with guest writers. Together we've created first-person content including:

Recent blogs

  • Autumn wildlife in a Scottish biosphere

    A guest writer from Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere tells us what wildlife we can see in the South of Scotland this autumn.

    Read the blog.

  • Ghosts in Scotland: fact or fiction?

    Just in time for Halloween, this blog delivers a first-person trip experience of spooky Edinburgh and ghostly Dunkeld with a taste of ghost tours.

    Read the blog.

  • Nine local shops to visit in Portobello

    Using first person experience allowed us to offer authoritative recommendations in this blog. We were also able to foster closer relationships with businesses and the local community.

    Read the blog.

Email marketing programme

Our enewsletters are sent to millions of consumers in English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, and Italian. Our themes throughout the year follow our marketing calendar. This tunes into customer interests and motivations - gleaned from our market studies or direct from our subscribers.

The first few emails a new subscriber receives are tailored based on their interests as well as the data gathered at the point of sign-up. For example, to begin with international subscribers are asked if they’ve visited before. The answer determines if they’re welcomed with key first-time experiences or hidden gems.

When our subscribers engage with these first few emails, it gives us an indication of their holiday preferences. This helps us to personalise their experience going forward.

 

This could be family-friendly activities for those who travel with kids. Trip ideas for foodies or people who love outdoor activities. Or destination inspiration for those looking for city breaks.  

Using information gathered we ensure we are relevant to the needs and interests of our subscribers.

It works! In recent summer emails we have seen click rates of 3.5 times higher than for non-tailored versions.  We’ve also added a tailored journey for users who are re-subscribing to our emails to welcome them back.

Gallery item 0 Gallery item 1 Gallery item 2 Gallery item 3 Gallery item 4

Social media

In addition to our consumer website and newsletters, we share our content across our global social media channels in English. These include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube. The core purpose of these channels is to inspire and influence people to connect with an authentic Scotland.

During the summer months the Edinburgh Festivals are an incredibly powerful hook on social media. We wanted to leverage this to raise the profile of lesser-known locations within the Scottish Borders, Lothians and Fife.

These posts collectively received more than 8,600 saves on Instagram. This shows clear intent from our audience to refer back to the content and use it as a point of reference when visiting or planning to visit.

Our global social media channels play a huge role in inspiring and influencing people to come to Scotland.

Read our focus on Instagram, including top tips for your business

Influencer activity

During peak season in Edinburgh in July we commissioned Scottish influencers TravelTwo to create the reel Hidden Gems in Edinburgh.

The reel showcased lesser-known destinations. It encouraged visitors to look beyond primary visitor attractions when planning their itineraries. This helps to ensure a more sustainable community impact.

TravelTwo are also local to Edinburgh. This meant travel was kept to a minimum, reducing the environmental impact of our marketing.

This was part of a larger initiative to utilise local influencers to showcase local secrets in a sustainable way.

Gallery item 0 Gallery item 1 Gallery item 2 Gallery item 3 Gallery item 4 Gallery item 5 Gallery item 6

Related links

13/10/2023

Going local on global social

Our global organic consumer social media channels play a key part in inspiring and influencing people to come to Scotland.