Our approach to marketing continues to be highly effective, delivering an average return on investment of £18 for every marketing pound spent.
Our consumer marketing strategy builds on what we've learned so far, using the latest market insights and data to support the ambitions of our three-year corporate plan.
The strategic approach is designed to drive consumer demand from domestic and international markets. Our marketing activity focuses on stimulating a global demand for sustainable travel experiences in Scotland, encouraging year-round travel to support regional and seasonal spread.
This is an end-to-end marketing approach, covering product development, routes to market, and the promotion of Scotland as a must-visit, must-return destination every season of the year.
1. Our approach
We know that glossy ads alone no longer cut through. Instead, people want something real, something that feels personal and genuine.
That's why we’re focusing on authentic storytelling and building a community of storytellers with a diverse range of voices, from influencers and media to visitors and intermediaries (travel agencies, tour operators, etc.).
This not only helps us share Scotland’s story in a trusted, relatable way, but also allows us to reach their engaged audiences on the platforms people turn to for travel inspiration and planning.
Earned media, travel press, and journalists
They craft long-form content and immersive narratives that capture emotional, place-based experiences through high-impact, independent editorial storytelling.
Discover how to work with our press team on support.visitscotland.org.
Influencers and content creators
They provide immersive, personal storytelling and include curated collaborations with authentic voices aligned to our values.
Browse our influencer programmes.
Intermediaries (travel agencies, tour operators, etc.)
They develop aligned messaging, using our toolkits and stories that reframe Scotland as a sustainable destination.
Discover how we work with intermediaries on traveltrade.visitscotland.org.
Locals
These are diverse and inspiring people, working within the Scottish tourism and event sector (artists, community advocates, distillers, guides, etc.), who share their authentic stories.
Discover how we collaborate with the tourism and events industry.
Paid media partners
They develop written or video content that’s tailored to fit naturally within their platforms and appeal to their audiences. This type of content is not just an ad. It's an emotional form of storytelling that feels personal and meaningful.
Check out our press releases on toolkit.visitscotland.org.
Visitors to Scotland
They organically recommend, share, and amplify content. They become advocates by sharing personal, emotional transformation stories.
Our marketing strategy reaches, engages, and converts potential visitors. It’s about inspiring people with the unique story of Scotland; our landscapes, history, culture, and warm welcome. From that first moment of travel inspiration, we then guide people towards planning and ultimately booking a holiday.
Our strategy is multi-faceted and always evolving. Marketing activity will inspire potential visitors at the early stage of their decision making journey, where we can have greatest impact and influence, encouraging visitors towards sustainable travel choices.
Our paid campaigns, social media activity, and media coverage are designed not just to promote but to connect with people emotionally.
Example of one of our social media activities through authentic, local voices.
We understand that marketing doesn't stop at inspiration. We continue to work with the travel trade, intermediaries (travel agencies, tour operators, etc.), and tourism and event businesses to shape how Scotland is offered as a destination. This side of the strategy helps to:
- define the product (Scotland as a destination)
- improve routes to market
- ensure Scotland is present at key decision-making points for potential visitors
In other words, we make sure that when people are ready to book, Scotland is easy to find and easy to choose.
Our marketing activity will focus on key growth areas like North America, Europe, and the UK, while still supporting emerging markets through the development of intermediary relationships and by working with airline partners.
In today’s landscape, wellbeing continues to be a strong motivator for travel. Scotland is perfectly placed to meet this demand with our warm hospitality, landscapes, history and experiences.
We aim to reflect this in our campaigns, showing how Scotland feeds the mind, body, and soul. We’ll do this not with clichés or stereotypes, but with unfiltered, real, and powerful content that reflects the true spirit of the country.
Ultimately, our strategy is about keeping Scotland relevant, visible, and desirable in a crowded global travel market. By combining emotional storytelling with practical support for booking and access, we aim to turn interest into action and visitors into passionate advocates for Scotland.
2. Our six strategic principles
Be authentic with target audiences
Our marketing needs to stand out and engage core audiences in a highly competitive market. We’ll take a creative, authentic, and focused approach to engage and connect with our target audiences. To provide a point of differentiation our marketing will:
- be authentic, real, and true
- be brought to life by peers and brands that audience’s trust
- advocate storytelling from real experience
- use immersive partnerships and an authentic network of influencers
- have a refreshing tone of voice, true to Scottish traits and our integrity
- use real content that captures the moment and feeds the senses
Maximise the impact of our owned and earned platforms
While our marketing spend is rightly focused on key markets and audiences, our powerful owned and earned channels will also flex to take advantage of tactical opportunities as they arise to make sure they are promoted. These take the form of:
- our owned media (social media, visitscotland.com, digital newsletters, etc.)
- our earned media (PR, etc.)
These channels help us stay visible, respond to trends, and keep audiences engaged throughout the year. We’ll continuously review and update them, based on market and industry insights related to sectors, regions, and local trends.
Build a community of storytellers
Data shows that travellers place greater trust in the lived experiences of others and from sources they can identify with. Visitors increasingly seek peer-led, personal recommendations and stories that bring destinations to life.
Our strategy centres on storytelling, bringing to life the authentic story of Scotland through a combined approach:
- creating insight-led content to tell our story
- curating content from trusted external voices
We harness these voices to help amplify our reach and impact, whilst communicating with relevance, creativity, and authenticity across our media channels.
To build a common thread through all our marketing touchpoints, our storytellers work to the same message framework with the aim to:
- layer and reinforce our key messages
- give consistency through:
- paid activity (influencers, online travel agents, content partnerships, etc.)
- owned activity (our websites, social channels, etc.)
- earned activity (press coverage, travel features, etc.)
We amplify Scotland’s voice through the people who have experienced it. Using emotional narratives to show, not tell, what Scotland feels like. Our content elevates visitor stories, local perspectives, and Scotland’s emotional impact by prioritising:
- storytelling with emotional resonance
- authenticity and credibility, conveyed through real voices and experiences
- peer-to-peer influence, including user generated content on social media and influencer advocacy
- digital formats, designed for discoverability, engagement, and shareability
Have an integrated audience-first approach
We place audiences at the heart of how we plan, make decisions, and deliver our marketing activity. This means that we understand:
- what drives them
- how they consume media
- how they plan and book
- what might stop them from booking
- when on the visitor journey from looking to booking they’re most open to influence
We take a broad view across our full range of marketing tools (PR, partnerships, social, paid advertisements, and online channels). This helps us find the right mix of marketing tactics that can connect and influence key audiences in our core markets at the right stages.
We identify the most influential touchpoints along the visitor journey and deliver the right message, through the right channel, and at the right time by:
- using insights from first-party data, research, and market intelligence to inform how we target our audience and develop our creative (audio visual content)
- aligning across organic (owned platforms), earned (PR and partnerships), and paid (media and influencers) activity to ensure a consistent experience with messaging
- focusing on high-potential audience segments in key markets where our efforts can make the biggest difference
- continuously testing, learning, and adapting by using real-time performance data to refine audience targeting and improve results
This audience-first approach ensures our marketing activity is more relevant, more engaging, and ultimately more effective in supporting our goal of driving sustainable growth.
Influence where it matters
Our marketing activity operates across every stage of the visitor journey.
While it’s often shown as a straight line (from inspiration to consideration to booking) the reality is more complex. People move back and forth, revisit options, change their minds, and adjust their plans as their priorities shift.
To navigate this, we use an integrated marketing model that covers everything from product development to driving demand and converting bookings. This includes activity aimed at both consumers and intermediaries (travel agencies, tour operators, etc.).
To influence travel decisions as early as possible, we’ll invest in a broad mix of channels, including social media, paid media, and media relations. These efforts are designed to reach people when ideas are just starting to take shape and give them strong reasons to choose Scotland.
We combine storytelling, inspiring content, and smart targeting to make sure our messages connect with the right audiences at the right time. Media activity is tailored to reflect how audiences behave and the specific media landscape in each key market.
Prioritise markets
We prioritised our investment for 2025-2026, based on:
- market potential
- market connectivity
- how well the audience aligns with Scotland's tourism offer
- the expected net economic impact of these visitors on Scotland
We focus on our growth and core markets: the UK, US, Germany, and France. We’ll also continue to support emerging markets like China, Canada, and Australia.
Mainly through intermediary and aviation activity, we help build viable air routes and grow demand for relevant products in emerging markets.
We stay future-focused, looking at mid to long-term development in these emerging markets, primarily through intermediaries (travel agencies, tour operators, etc.) by:
- building market knowledge
- developing key account management and strategic partnerships
This will ensure Scotland is well positioned as demand grows.
3. Our marketing tactics
Our consumer marketing focuses on building visibility for Scotland across platforms and channels where people actively plan travel.
From search engines and social media to curated campaigns and influencer content, we want Scotland to stand out with messages that feel both inspirational and actionable.
A strong strategic approach to consumer marketing will combine:
- our "always-on activity" such as visitscotland.com or social media
- targeted bursts of "high-impact campaigns" (often over a short or focused period) such as our previous Scotland is Calling campaign
Partnerships play an increasingly important role. We’ll collaborate with public sector bodies, commercial partners, and global media platforms to increase Scotland’s visibility and presence.
To ensure long-term success, through our Business Support Programme, we work closely with Scotland’s tourism and events industry to develop and evolve Scotland’s visitor offer.
Our aim is to make the visitor offer more sustainable, easier to book, and better aligned with what markets are looking for.
This work is crucial to turn interest into action. It ensures that both our domestic and international marketing efforts are supported by an offer that’s relevant, responsible, and ready to convert.
4. Measuring success
Short-term indicators
These include:
- campaign and channel performance results
- partner conversions and return on investment
- number of businesses made "trade-ready"
Longer-term indicators
These include:
- net economic impact
- percentage of visitors influenced to visit Scotland instead of another destination
- increase in visitor numbers and spending
