Visit Scotland | Alba
Article published 14/01/2025

Coos in Cardis

Today (9 January) we launched our brand-new PR campaign to encourage winter breaks in Scotland, showcasing things to see and do at this time of year. 

Do you remember our campaign that famously featured Shetland ponies in sweaters to promote Scotland’s natural beauty? It became a worldwide hit and has since inspired our latest campaign working with Julie the loveable Highland Cow from Newton Farm Holidays & Tours in Angus.  

Newton Farm Holidays was chosen as the location as it’s one of the many businesses and attractions that offer a year-round visitor experience, helping to bring visitors to Scotland across the winter season. Their farm tours offer visitors the opportunity to interact with the Highland cows in a safe and responsible way.  

To inspire people to wrap up warm and explore what Scotland has to offer beyond the summer season, the three moo-dels will be sporting made-to-measure woollen knitwear from A’ The Airts Community Centre in Sanquhar, Dumfries & Galloway.   

Working with these talented knitters has been such an incredible experience, seeing first-hand these garments come together using Scottish wool and a pattern that’s unique to Scotland.

Highland Cow in a field with a cardi and a hat on

Julie the Highland "super moo-del" cow, from Newton Farm Holidays & Tours in Angus. Credit Lesley Martin.

About the campaign

The campaign will target media to reach audiences in Scotland and the UK to encourage them to visit Scotland, whether that's a day visit, overnight or for the weekend.

Further afield, we’ll be targeting our key European and long-haul markets, with the release translated into six languages including French, Spanish, Italian, German, Dutch, and Mandarin. 

Activity will also feature across our social media channels and on our global consumer website visitscotland.com. 

Inspiring visitors with authentic experiences

Tourism benefits every region of Scotland and working on this campaign – in partnership with local businesses and a social enterprise – helped us to create and inspire visitors with a truly authentic experience.  

The Highland cows were the obvious choice, being synonymous with Scotland and an integral part of our marketing since 2015.

#Coosday started as a series of fun social media posts of the hardy Highland cow and is now celebrating its 10th anniversary. Find out more about our #Coosday activity.

Their popularity on social media has coincided with a boom in the agritourism travel trend and increases in visitor experiences on Scotland’s farmland. There is a growing interest in the sector from visitors across the world. 

This campaign aligns with our "Good for the Soul" proposition, focusing on the restorative and enriching qualities of a Scottish winter. Through this approach, we aim to achieve regional spread, spend, sustainability, and satisfaction for the industry. 

Making Scotland a must-visit, must-return destination every month of the year can create a real win-win situation for businesses, communities and visitors.

How we’re inspiring visits to Scotland in winter

Research and insights

Research shows 70% of visitors are motivated to visit Scotland due to the country’s landscape and scenery, and there are signs of increased interest from international markets in spring and winter experiences.  

In 2023, domestic and international tourism over those traditionally cooler months (January- March and October-December) generated £2.5 billon with around 7.6 million visits made.  

Our work with tour operators and travel agents has revealed strong interest from the North American market (Scotland’s largest international market) in travel in September and October this year. Tour operators from Germany, Austria and Switzerland are also reporting some of their best years on record for earlier (April) and later (October) departure dates to Scotland.

Highland cows are iconically Scottish and naturally cosy animals so who better to bring the style and encourage visitors to explore Scotland during the colder months. 

Using a pattern that is uniquely Scottish, made with Scottish wool, and by talented knitters from Dumfries & Galloway, the images are designed to instil that feeling visitors get when they come to Scotland in winter.  

We know that travel outside the traditional summer season is becoming increasingly appealing for our international markets, and we hope our profile-raising ‘super moo-dels’ can ignite that interest further. 

It's part of our sustainable tourism work to make Scotland a must-visit, must-return year-round destination, by encouraging seasonal spread and helping tourism and events to extend the season. 

Scotland has so much to offer during those shorter days and longer nights; from walking in our breathtaking landscapes on a cold crisp morning or stargazing under our world-famous dark skies, to attending a concert or festival, or taking the time to coorie in with old friends and new. 

Whether here for a day or longer – booking accommodation, dining out or using local businesses – a visit during the winter months supports our valuable visitor economy and helps to sustain our communities.

Vicki Miller, Chief Executive of VisitScotland

Get involved and promote winter breaks in Scotland

Images of these adorable coos in their finery are free to download and share across your social media (we know our visitors love a Highland Coo) when highlighting your winter breaks. Check out our media toolkit and search “Coos in Cardis” 

Or share a link to visitscotland.com - our global website - which has plenty of inspiration on Scotland's winter offerings with a range of inspiring things to do and see.

Looking ahead 

There are many ways to get involved with our marketing activity. We’re always on the lookout for news stories and interesting products and experiences for use on our own channels and for pitching to media.

Want to share an idea? Email us at travelpr@visitscotland.com. 

Related links

Our target markets

Find out about our focus markets and how we target marketing to specific audiences.

Our marketing strategy

We seek to show Scotland as an inclusive, all year-round destination. Find out about our marketing strategy and how it shapes our approach to…

Working with the press

Find out how our PR activity can benefit your business and the role press can play in your business' marketing strategy.