Visit Scotland Organisation and Its Contribution to Scottish Tourism - Essay Example

Tourism Executive summary Different national tourism organisations undertake the fundamental function of popularisingtourism destinations within their countries. These organisations undertake intensive strategies aimed at ensuring sustainability of various tourism activities within the country. These strategies include partnerships, marketing and quality assurance strategies aimed at ensuring delivery of services and meeting the international standards. All these elements remain focused on ensuring competitiveness of tourism activities within the international market. These organisations play a fundamental role in development of tourism products within different markets. This article presents an analysis of the national tourism agency for Scotland; VisitScotland. The article identifies the numerous approaches the organisation has pursued in development of tourism within the country, and the result of these strategies on the tourism industry in Scotland. The report provides several recommendations that could enhance the impact of the organisation on the tourism activities occurring within the country. Table of Contents Executive summary 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Methodology 3 Background of Visit Scotland 3 Findings 4 Partnerships 4 Marketing 6 Provision of information 7 Quality and sustainability 7 Discussions 8 Recommendations 9 Conclusion 10 References 11 Introduction VisitScotland is the Scottish national tourism agency that undertakes the role of marketing the country as a tourist destination in the world. The organisation is a government funded public body that plays a significant role in coordinating various stakeholders within the tourism industry, in Scotland. The organisation has continuously been actively involved in the development projects of many tourism-based investments within the country. The organisation operates through partnerships with different public entities and private businesses in promoting tourism in Scotland. These partnerships provide the organisation with essential information regarding the services offered within the industry. This effectively enables the organisation to develop marketing campaigns for the entire country, at national and international tourism markets. The marketing strategies enable many organisations and tourism businesses to gain international recognition in the global markets. These activities have provided significant impacts in the development of tourism activities within the country; consequently contributing to economic improvement through sustainable tourism activities (Yeoman, para 1). Methodology The research gathered in this report was taken from various literatures available online. Journal articles and books have also been utilised in gaining an objective perspective of the organisation. Background of Visit Scotland Visit Scotland is an executive public body in Scotland, which coordinates tourism activities in Scotland and acts as the national tourism agency. The organisation operates from head offices located in Edinburgh, Scotland as well as other locations across the country (VisitScotland, para 1). The organisation was established in 1969 as the Scottish Tourism Board, and has continued to undertake tourism related activities since inception. The organisation is charged with the responsibility of attracting visitors to the country; an operation it undertakes through advertising, promotional campaigns and many other approaches. The organisation works closely with VisitBritain, a similar organisation with similar tasks across the entire Britain. The organisation coordinates tourism-marketing activities within the country, and seeks to ensure sustainability of the tourism sector within the country (Yeoman, Galt, and Mcmahon-Beattie, 14). Findings The organisation has been fundamental in the sustainability of tourism activities within the country for many years. The presence of the organisations remains essential in the tourism activities undertaken through the country. The organisation has over the last decade been actively involved in numerous strategic approaches aimed at enhancing tourism activities within the country. Different strategies utilised by the organisation have produced different effects upon the national tourism sector. The organisation has remained focused on ensuring increased number of visitors to the country. Through the various activities undertaken by the organisation, the country’s tourism sector has experienced considerable growth, consequently contributing to the economic improvement of the country’s economy. The subsequent are some of the strategies adopted by the organisation in marketing the country as a tourist destination Partnerships The organisations ahs developed numerous partnerships with different organisations, both in public and private sector, in ensuring achievement of the strategies developed by the tourism sector. The organisations further realises the contribution of different tourism businesses within the country, and supports many tourism business activities. The organisation ensures all businesses involved in tourism activities work towards the government’s economic strategy for tourism. This is done through the support provided by the organisation to the businesses. The organisation provides support through offering information regarding regulations and expectations of the businesses by the government. Among the public partners whom the organisation works with include The Scottish Government – through the various government departments, this forms the major source of funding for VisitScotland (The Scottish Government, para 2). The Scottish Enterprise – which is a government funded organisation aimed at providing support companies and organisations. The organisation also provides economic development plans which different organisations can utilise to improve their business operations (Scottish Enterprise, para 3) VisitBritain – this is an organisation with similar merit like VisitScotland but the mandate runs over the entire Britain. The organisation works in close relation to all national tourist boards of England, Scotland and Wales in promoting tourism in Britain (VisitBritain, para 1) Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) – this organisation acts as the representative of different local governments across the country. The organisation also acts as the employer’s association for the local governments. The organisation is further involved in various Area Tourism Partnerships, which were developed by the government in aiming at identifying activities that could enhance growth of tourism sector. The partnerships create relationships between different interest groups and organisations involved in tourism related activities, within the country. These partnerships have been fundamental in engaging the industry and creating link between public and personal sectors in the tourism industry. The partnerships have also been essential in securing resources and lobbying for various organisations within the industry. Marketing The organisation has been extensively involved in different marketing strategies which have provided fundamental changes in the tourism sector within the country. The marketing strategies have been targeting both local and international tourist markets. The different marketing strategies remain focused on maximising economic benefits from the tourism activities within the country. These strategies have significantly improved the tourism activities within the country over time (MacLellan and Smith, 65). The organisation utilises different channels in delivering marketing information to the target audience. Traditional communication channels like television and films have been utilised in marketing tourism within the country. The release of the feature film ‘Brave’ by Disney was an essential marketing tool for the country’s tourism sector. The organisation has changed towards increased utilisation of web-based channels because of their efficiency and capacity to reach the international audience. Within the country, the organisation has extensively utilised the campaign named ‘brilliant moments’ running on many local media. The campaign involves various celebrities and show significant events occurring within the country. These campaigns seek to entice the local citizens to engage in tourism activities within the country. The campaigns are undertaken on different medium, including TV, radio, e-communication among many others. All the campaigns have the theme of brilliant moments; which serves to enlighten the citizens on some unique features within the country. The international marketing campaign has been titled “Scotland. Welcome to Our Life”, which seeks to attract international tourists to destinations within Scotland. The campaign includes a human aspect with the theme of “Meet the Scots”, a group of people who represent the cultural beliefs of Scottish people. The international campaign targets different segments of clients developed by the organisation to market the country to different individuals. The campaign is extensively undertaken on websites as well as social media which have been essential in reaching many target clients. Provision of information The organisation undertakes extensive information provision strategies to different individuals, who could be potential clients. The information targets both potential clients and business partners involved within the Scottish tourism industry. Through the organisations website, many individuals can access essential information regarding various tourist destinations within Scotland. The information provided remains a fundamental aspect in assisting individuals seeking to visit the country. The organisation website presents detailed information regarding various destinations and activities which individuals can engage in. businesses operating within the tourism sector can also utilise this information in seeking to introduce services to tourists visiting the country. The aspect of providing tourist information remains fundamental in helping international clients make informed decisions regarding visiting the country. The information provided also serves as an enticement for the tourists to try different products offered in the country. Quality and sustainability The organisation operates different quality assurance schemes aimed at offering standardised services across various tourism businesses within the country. Establishment of industry standards has enabled the business operators to undertake assessment of their products against the expected standards developed by the organisation. The quality assurance scheme developed by the organisation has gained international recognition and this enhances the dependence of the information contained within the organisation’s website. The schemes are developed in partnership with other key organisations involved in provision of the specified services being tested. This has enabled the organisation to establish standardised methods of evaluating different tourism products, consequently grading them. The organisation undertakes quality assurance visits on establishments offering tourism products to ascertain the quality of services provided. While this serves as a process of standardising the services, it provides an aspect of sustainability upon the tourism industry through offering sustainability advice and support. The organisation provides advice to businesses on achieving sustainability within the industry and maintaining required product standards. The sustainability of various businesses within the tourism industry remains heavily dependent on attracting customers to the businesses. Maintaining of product standards has continuously provided the required support in achieving continued sustainability among many businesses. Discussions Visit Scotland has over the last decade undertaken various activities aimed at supporting the tourism industry within the country. Many of the activities have provided increased economic benefits to the country’s tourism industry. The various activities have had different influences on the tourism industry within the country (BBC Scotland, para 7). The activities undertaken by the country as identified by the report have the following effects Partnerships – these have increased the cooperation between various entities involved in the tourism industry, consequently producing essential coordination required for industry development. The organisation has taken a leadership role in enhancing coordination and cooperation between private and public institutions involved in development of tourism. Marketing – this has remained fundamental in ensuring many businesses remain competitive and attractive to tourists visiting the country. The organisation has assisted many small businesses to reach international clients by advertising the country in a general perspective. The themed marketing campaigns adopted by the company have been fundamental in enlightening the international and local tourists about destinations within Scotland (Yeoman and Lederer, 77). Provision of information – the information provided by the organisation to clients has enabled small businesses to reach international clients. This has significantly increased the popularity of tourist destinations within the country, consequently attracting increased number of tourists. Quality and sustainability – the quality schemes developed by the organisation have ensured standardisation of various products provided within the Scottish tourism industry. The quality schemes have enabled businesses to develop products meeting required standards, consequently achieving international standards (Eugenio-Martin, Sinclair, and Yeoman, 25). The standards developed have had a fundamental influence of assuring sustainability of numerous tourist products in the country. Recommendations Based on the various findings contained within this report, the following recommendation would be made. Adoption of these recommendations would significantly increase the impacts of the activities undertaken by VisitScotland on the tourism industry within the country. The organisation should consider involvement in different partnerships with international organisations. This would provide a platform for sharing information regarding different services offered within tourism industries of different countries. Pursuing international partnerships would also enhance the understanding of perceptions held by international travellers regarding Scotland as a tourist destination (Fyall and Leask, 55) The organisation should increase the segmentation of quality assurance schemes to focus in more tourist products available within the market. The new products targeted would become recognised at the international markets; hence gaining prominence. Conclusion The national tourism agency of Scotland, VisitScotland, has remained actively involved in the promotion of tourism activities within the country. Over the last decade, the organisation has adopted numerous strategies, which have continued to provide significant impacts on the Scottish tourism industry. The organisation has been actively involved in many partnerships with different stakeholders, all aimed at ensuring improvement of the tourism industry. The organisation has further undertaken the leadership role in marketing the country internationally and identifying some products which tourists can enjoy (Harrison, para7). Through the coordination of many stakeholders, the organisation has successfully developed, internationally accredited quality assurance schemes for the various tourism products available within the Scottish tourism market. This strategy has provided the Scottish tourism with essential edge in gaining popularity within the international tourism industry (Baker and Cameron, 83). International partnerships and increment of the quality schemes remain two major aspects which the organisation can include in the development strategies, in seeking further development in the Scottish tourism industry. References Baker, Michael J., and Emma Cameron. “Critical Success Factors in Destination Marketing.” Tourism and Hospitality Research 8.2 (2008): 79–97. Print. BBC Scotland. “Lonely Planet Says Scotland Is Third Best Country to Visit.” 2013. Web. 29 Dec. 2013. Eugenio-Martin, Juan L., M. Thea Sinclair, and Ian Yeoman. “Quantifying the Effects of Tourism Crises: An Application to Scotland.” Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 19.2-3 (2006): 21–34. Print. Fyall, Alan, and Anna Leask. “Destination Marketing: Future issues—Strategic Challenges.” Tourism and hospitality research 7.1 (2006): 50–63. Print. Harrison, Jody. “Tourism Firms Benefit from Rising Level of Staycations.” Herald Scotland 12 July 2012. MacLellan, Rory, and Ronnie Smith. Tourism in Scotland. London: International Thompson Business Press, 1998. Print. Scottish Enterprise. “Scottish Enterprise.” Tourism Sector. 2013. Web. 29 Dec. 2013. The Scottish Government. “The Scottish Government Official Website.” External Affairs and Tourism Directorate. 2013. Web. 29 Dec. 2013. VisitBritain. “VisitBritain Corporate Site.” 2013. Web. 29 Dec. 2013. VisitScotland. “The Corporate Site for Scotland’s National Tourism Organisation.” 2013. Web. 29 Dec. 2013. Yeoman, Ian. “What If.” Tommorrow’s Tourism. 2012. Web. 29 Dec. 2013. Yeoman, Ian, Miriam Galt, and Una Mcmahon-Beattie. “A Case Study of How VisitScotland Prepared for War.” Journal of Travel Research 44.1 (2005): 6–20. Print. Yeoman, Ian, and Peter Lederer. “Scottish Tourism: Scenarios and Vision.” Journal of Vacation Marketing 11.1 (2005): 71–87. Print.  Read More