We aim to make Scotland one of the most desired destinations in the world. Using our digital channels, we reach new audiences with engaging and sharable content.
Our digital channels encourage potential visitors to consider visiting Scotland throughout the year. These channels include:
- visitscotland.com
- email marketing
- social media
Key digital channel statistics
2.8 million
visits to visitscotland.com over the past three months
6 million
marketing emails sent during the past three months
24 million
reach of summer messages on social media
1.2 million
views of foreign language content on visitscotland.com
Spotlight on key summer themes
Summer is Scotland’s event season, filled with world-class festivals. Visitors might also want to go on great days out, exploring the outdoors, or to escape off-the-beaten track destinations.
Highlighting lesser-known events, experiences, and destinations is of key importance to encourage people to visit across the country.
Events and festivals
Scotland’s vibrant festival scene in the summer stretches from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to the Highland Games, showcasing traditional sports, music, and dance.
Top marketing activity
HebCelt 24 music festival was showcased on Instagram and TikTok. Taylor Swift’s visit to Edinburgh didn’t go unnoticed on these channels either.
Our monthly What’s On Facebook and Instagram stories featured great events happening around Scotland each month.
The Highland Games in Luss featured on TikTok with a reel of the marching pipers.
Pages covering what’s on and events across our cities were updated and optimised for search engines. We did the same for events in Dumfries & Galloway, The Scottish Borders, and Orkney.
Our “Get Set For Summer Getaways” email featured day trips and information about the Edinburgh festivals. It also had segmented content for tours, targeted to the UK market.
Outdoor adventures
Visitors want to go on great days out, exploring the outdoors and escape to off-the-beaten track destinations.
Top marketing activity
Author Christopher Sommerville wrote a fantastic piece for us, exploring the geology of Scotland. Read walking the bones of Scotland on visitscotland.com.
@thechaoticscot took us on a car free journey to Isle of Arran. We showcased some incredible cycling destinations to celebrate World Cycling Day.
@carolinemcqusitin shared an incredible adventure to Shetland. Check out their reel on Instagram.com.
More exciting activities in the Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere were composed. Read about cool things to do in the biosphere on visitscotland.com.
Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok showcased the jaw dropping Bunabhainneadar tennis court on the Isle of Harris. This was timed for Wimbledon, tapping into increased interest around the sporting event.
Top tips for tourism businesses
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Implement quick wins
Look to see what posts on Instagram have a high number of saves and create similar posts. Showcase your business in the current season. Use the @mention sticker to mention other businesses to tie into other themes.
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Collaborate with others
By tagging each other you can promote your business to each other’s audience. For example, if you’re an accommodation business, in an Instagram story you could show your business.
Next, tag nearby places to eat or things to do, and mention these are nearby by using the location sticker. The businesses tagged could then share this story on their channel, showcasing your business to their audience.
More summer themes
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Coastal retreats
Largs, Irvine, Millport, and West Kilbride featured in a new reel on Instagram, along with six incredible beaches from Lewis to the Scottish Borders. Hidden gems on Mull and Iona were highlighted in a new article.
Islands were spotlighted twice in emails to all markets, reaching 900,000 subscribers each time.
Watch our six unique landmarks not far from Glasgow reel on instagram.com.
Check out our six bonny beaches in Scotland post on instagram.com.
Browse our list of hidden gems on Mull and Iona on visitscotland.com.
Off-the-beaten-path places
Lesser-known activities and attractions in Dunfermline and Inverness were highlighted in updated pages. Two places further afield, Iona and St Kilda were showcased with beautiful reels on Instagram.
Emails to all markets featuring hidden gems, country breaks, and getaways reached over 200,000 people.
Watch our Iona and St Kilda reel on instagram.com.
Check out our Iona post on instagram.com.
Browse our list of things to do in Inverness on visitscotland.com.
Peruse our list of things to do in Dunfermline on visitscotland.com.
Water adventures
We showcased kayaking destinations, along with businesses offering white water rafting, canyoning, wild swimming, stand up paddle boarding, and sailing.
Peruse our post with kayaking destinations on instagram.com.
Browse canoeing and kayaking holidays in Scotland on visitscotland.com.
Check out our showcase of water activity businesses on instagram.com.
Sunset scenes
Incredible sunset vistas featured extensively across our social channels. We shared images taken at beaches, cities, mountains, castles, and harbours.
Watch our real of Scottish spring evenings on instagram.com.
Peruse our post with sunset spotting destinations on instagram.com.
Street food
Seafood shacks and great ice cream were featured on our social channels. We also highlighted nine food and drink award winning businesses on our consumer website.
Top seafood spots, food experiences, and 10 quirky Edinburgh eats shone in our marketing email in May.
Watch our seafood shack reel on instagram.com.
Peruse our post of places to get ice cream on instagram.com.
Browse our list of food and drink award winners on visitscotland.com.
Related links
06/08/2024Business events update
14/08/2024News from the marketplace
12/08/2024Promoting Scotland at Euro 2024
09/08/2024Taylor Swift (Scotland’s version)
