Our Corporate Press team activity
The following is a summary of what our Corporate Press team have been up to over the last six months, covering Loch Lomond, The Trossachs, Stirling & Forth Valley.
Article published 25/01/2024
Introduction from Lynsey Eckford, Regional Director
I’m delighted to bring you our latest regional update for Loch Lomond, Trossachs, Stirling and Forth Valley from last six months.
I took on the role of Regional Director for the region at the beginning of Summer and it’s been wonderful meeting tourism businesses, partners, and stakeholders in the region.
There’s been so many highlights so far with Stirling hosting The UCI Cycling World Championships, which was nothing short of a spectacular event. The Forth Valley showcased its breathtaking landscapes, heritage, and culture to viewers and visitors all over the world.
I visited the Steamship Sir Walter Scott which is back sailing again on Loch Katrine, better than ever, after a significant and quality restoration programme.
Lynsey Eckford on a regional visit to the Forth Valley.
And my tartan was back on for the Stirling Highland Games in August, which boosted its most successful event yet. It continues being a favourite for both international and local visitors, adding a rich layer to the cultural and sporting tapestry.
I was lucky to attend the Regional and National Scottish Thistle Awards alongside some of our shortlisted tourism businesses . It was great to see the recognition garnered at for Forth Valley with many finalists and winners, which reflects the region's commitment to providing exceptional experiences.
As we eagerly anticipate the coming year, 2024 holds promises of excitement and celebration.
The opening of Rosebank Distillery, the Kelpies at Helix Park marking their 10th birthday with a series of events, and the return of Clackmannanshire's Whisky Festival in April are milestones that continue to enhance Forth Valley as a must-visit destination.
Here’s to a successful 2024!
Lynsey
Marketing Loch Lomond, the Trossachs and Forth Valley
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VisitFalkirk partnership
Funded by VisitFalkirk in partnership with The Helix and Paths For All, a paid social campaign was delivered throughout October targeting Scots and North England audiences.
We encouraged visitors to take a short break in the area and driving them to visitfalkirk.com for inspiration.
Activity included image adverts of the The Falkirk Wheel, The Kelpies at Helix Park and Callendar House as well as regional destination video.
The content we created covered the themes of short stays, cycling and families and including businesses such as Rosebank Distillery, Park Hotel, and the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway.
This activity drove more than 15,700 landings to visitfalkirk.com as well as more than 125,800 ThruPlays.
VisitScotland.com
The team at visitscotland.com have been reviewing and updating some of our key pages for the region, these are handy to share with your visitors or link to on your website.
They include information on how to get to Loch Lomond, Trossachs and Forth Valley, where to go and where to stay. the following are a few examples:
- places to go in and around Stirling
- places to go in Loch Lomond
- places to go in Loch Lomond, the Trossachs and Forth Valley
The team have also worked on national piece which feature the South of Scotland, these are popular with visitors looking for inspiration on where to visit. Here are a few examples:
Scotland's UNESCO trail
Scotland's UNESCO trail was launched in October 2021 and was designed specifically to support ambitions to showcase Scotland as a world-leading responsible tourism destination.
With dedicated funding made available by the Scottish Government, we launched a marketing campaign in October 2022 which built on the success of previous activity around the launch of the trail.
With the activity concluded, a series of webinars took place over summer / autumn with Scottish Government, designation site representations and the UK UNESCO Commission to present the results of this activity.
Furthermore, we also presented to a meeting of the Nordic UNESCO delegates who were keen to learn more about the development and success of the trail.
Our insights team are continuing work on an economic impact report which will be publishing in 2024.
Read more about Scotland’s UNESCO trail on visitscotland.com.
- Using images of Callandar House, The Kelpies and Muiravonside Country Park, we created social media posts to inspire people to take a short break to the region, aimed at visitors living in Scotland and north England.
- They also compiled an opinion editorial from Regional Director Lynsey Eckford, featuring the autumn and winter marketing activity to drive year-round visitors and reflecting on the current climate for tourism which featured in The Stirling Observer.
- A press release was issued to highlight around 35 Scottish tourism businesses, including some from Stirling, who attended the North America Business Development Mission (BDM) in London.
- The team issued a press release highlighting a marketing campaign aiming to encourage UK visitors to visit Falkirk during autumn and winter.
- Regional press releases went out to celebrate the winners of the Central and East Thistle Awards and the launch of VisitScotland Connect 2024.
Loch Lomond, Trossachs and Forth Valley on social
4.27 million reach
Number of times Loch Lomond, Trossachs and Forth Valley content reached people on social media.
144,000 engagements
Reactions, likes and comments, shares and saves of Loch Lomond, Trossachs and Forth Valley posts.
268,900 reached
Top performing post by reach was an Instagram image Doune Castle.
Partnerships marketing
ScotRail/ Beano
With a captured family audience in the summer holidays, we partnered with ScotRail again for another phase of our Beano themed family focused promotions. We aimed to promote sustainable days out and geographic spread across the ScotRail network.
Our Partnership marketing team worked media to share these promotions. As a result Stirling featured in Edinburgh Live whilst both Stirling and Loch Lomond appeared in the Glasgow Live article. Stirling Castle also was part of the paid media social media adverts.
Leading up to the October school holidays, we partnered again with ScotRail for another phase of our Beano-themed promotions to promote sustainable days out and geographic spread across the ScotRail network.
Read the news item featuring Stirling on edinburghlive.co.uk.
Read the news item featuring Stirling on glasgowlive.co.uk.
Campaign images from the ScotRail partnership.
Caledonian Sleeper & Glasgow Life
Building on the success of last year's activity, our campaign with Caledonian Sleeper and Glasgow Life aimed to encourage Londoners to wake up to the magic of Glasgow and beyond.
We did this by showcasing the benefits of overnight train travel and the incredible experiences that awaited in Scotland, through a mix of paid media, ads, and influencer activity.
We partnered with influencer @theslowtraveler who has over one million followers and focused on cultural break to Glasgow content and included a trip up by rail to Arrochar & Tarbert.
Running on Digital six Sheets on the London Underground allowed us to reach an audience who are passionate about travel with a digital format in key terminal stations in London and central sites. This creative included The Kelpies.
Influencer activity from @theslowtraveler.
Global PR activity
UK
The UK team worked with media contacts specifically to create stories around Halloween; things to do, tours and where to pick pumpkins to support the agritourism project. This included the Stirling GhostWalk and was published in the Sunday Mail.
In the UK, The Times also spotlighted the region as a cycling destination, with the article detailing the cycle route from Callander to Dunblane.
It included mentions to scenic film locations as well as Doune Castle, Deanston Distillery, and Dunblane Cathedral as pitstops, encouraging the region to be explored by bike and on foot in a sustainable manner.
Europe
Loch Lomond was included in a feature on Scotland’s lochs in Falstaff, one of Germany’s leading high-end culinary lifestyle magazines. The Europe team supported the editor with suggestions, contacts and images for the piece.
They supported Échappées belles for their Enchanting Scotland travel documentary on France 5. There was lots of regional spread, including the Forth Valley. They visit Doune Castle and discuss kilts with Andy the highlander, a tourist guide and influencer.
1.3 million people tuned in for the Scotland episode on primetime Saturday night television, a record this season with 6.6% of audience share.
And Brigitte, Germany’s most widely read women’s magazine, published a fantastic multi-page spread on Scotland at the end of 2023 after a bucket-list trip the PR team worked on with journalist Bjorn Erik Sass in 2022.
The article features inclusions for both the Kelpies and Bannockburn Visitor Centre.
Find out more about our marketing directorateAustralia
We partnered with VisitBritain and Australian freelancer writer Steve McKenna. Steve visited Stirling in October 2023 and his visit was published by The Sunday Times and The West Australian online.
The key theme of his trip was Scotland’s eight cities and spotlighting new openings / unique experience in each city to encourage Australian travellers to explore Scottish cities in different aspects.
The articles highlighted the convenience accessing Stirling from Glasgow and Edinburgh, and the vibrant offerings in Stirling, including Stirling Castle, Old Town, Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, the walks and scenic paths, the culinary delights, local shops, Stirling Distillery, Dunblane and Doune.
We supported another Australian journalist, Chris Dwyer, to feature unique luxury accommodations in Scotland. Chris Dwyer travelled with his rescue dog around Scotland by train.
The article published by Sunday Mail Brisbane, Sunday Telegraph, Escape Australia. Cromlix was one of the properties got spotlighted in the article.
Another Australian journalist’s story spotlighting the Kelpies was published by The West Australian online. The story also touched on attractions in Stirling (Stirling Castle and National Wallace Monument), while focusing on the Kelpies, its legend, story, its design and also the Helix Park and Falkirk Wheel.
Read Chris Dwyer's article on escape.com.au.
China
Stirling, Lake of Menteith, Doune Castle were featured in an image-led online article published by sohu.com. The article highlighted the history of Stirling being a historic city, and the amazing scenery near Stirling which each tells its unique story.
Travel Trade activity
Our the Intermediary Marketing team held a travel trade workshop in the Apex Waterloo Place Hotel in Edinburgh, in which two Forth Valley businesses attended. It was an new event format that was designed for minimal costs and maximum engagement.
These businesses are at the early stages of their travel trade readiness journey. The event was an important part of accelerating their development.
In support of our responsible tourism strategy, businesses were selected because of their sustainable product offering and business practices, as well as representing a wide regional spread.
We had very positive feedback from Fodder & Farm and Falkirk Distillery and look forward to working with them on their Travel Trade journey.
