Working with Scottish Tourism Organisations
Introduction
When marketing your museum, gallery, activity, or event to tourists, it’s worth teaming up with other local and regional businesses and tourism organisations. This will help to generate a ‘buzz’ about your area and help to promote the benefits, activities, and attractions that are specific to your region.
This concept is called destination marketing – a type of marketing that promotes a particular destination to increase visitors.
VisitScotland support
VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation, supporting the responsible growth of the tourism and events sector. They provide industry-leading advice, research, and opportunities for all tourism businesses including museums and galleries. This and much more can be found on VisitScotland’s Corporate website.
This includes:
- Information on how to promote your museum or gallery with their free com web listings service as well as other marketing opportunities.
- Support and advice on how to develop your digital skills including an array of digital marketing tips and techniques to help you improve the online performance of your museum or gallery.
- Key travel trends, including information about our visitors, who visits Scotland, what they’re interested in, and what they are looking for. There are also research and tourism insights on different regions across Scotland.
- Access to Industry Relationship Managers (IRMs) for each region. Part of the wider Destination Development team, with insights into the local tourism offering, an IRM can help you develop and grow your business with tailored support and advice.
Other support
There is a range of other organisations that operate within destination marketing that can also provide support and offer opportunities to tourism businesses in Scotland.
Business Improvement Districts
This is formed when a group of local businesses come together and invest collectively to support their area’s tourism industry. For more information and a list of all Business Improvement Districts, visit the Scotland’s Improvement Districts website.
Destination Management Organisations (DMOs)
These are organisations that represent a destination or region in Scotland. There may be more than one covering a region.
Contacts by region
The organisations outlined here are a mixture of these two types of organisations. We would suggest visiting their website and researching the organisation before getting in touch.
Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire
Coordinator: Aberdeen City Council/Aberdeenshire Council
Contact: 01224 900490 or info@visitabdn.com
Angus
Argyll & the Isles
Wild About Argyll/Explore Argyll
Coordinator: Argyll & the Isles Tourism Cooperative
Local areas include Oban, Lorn & Isles; Mull & Iona; Isle of Tiree; Isle of Coll; Isle of Colonsay; Inveraray; Kilmartin Glen; Isle of Gigha; Campbeltown & Kintyre; Islay & Jura; Dunoon & Cowal; Isle of Bute; Loch Lomond; Helensburgh & Clyde; Inner Hebridean Islands.
Contact: Contact form on the Wild about Argyll website
Coordinator: Love Loch Lomond
Due to the large area, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs represent, this listing is also included in the Stirling and West Dunbartonshire sections.
Contact: Karen Donnelly manager@lovelochlomond.com
Contact: manager@lovelochlomond.com
Ayrshire & Arran
Ayrshire and Arran Tourism (Website is currently being updated, March 2024)
Coordinator: South Ayrshire Council, North Ayrshire Council, East Ayrshire Council
Contact: Register through website
Coordinator: Arran Trust
Contact: 01770 302043 or info@arrantrust.org
Clackmannanshire
Coordinator: Tourism Group for Clackmannanshire
Contact: discoverclackmannanshire@hotmail.com.
Dumfries & Galloway
South of Scotland – Scotland Starts Here
The South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) is the Destination Marketing and Management Organisation (DMMO) encompassing Dumfries & Galloway and the Scottish Borders. Scotland Starts Here is a destination marketing campaign – the visitor information website, app, and social channels – for the South of Scotland and is owned and run by SSDA.
Coordinator: The South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA)
Contact: suzanne@ssdalliance.com
Dundee
Coordinator: Dundee City Council/ One City Many Discoveries Marketing Campaign.
Contact: Jennifer Caswell, Campaign Manager 01382 434252 or contact@dundee.com
East Dumbartonshire
Coordinator: East Dumbartonshire Tourism Partnership/East Dumbartonshire Council.
East Lothian
Coordinator: East Lothian Council
Edinburgh
Coordinator: Marketing Edinburgh
Paid membership
Falkirk
Coordinator: Falkirk Council/Falkirk Area Tourism Partnership
Fife
Glasgow
People Make Glasgow (business support)
Coordinator: Glasgow Life
Contact: anne-marie.gray@glasgowlife.org.uk
Highlands
Coordinator: Visit Inverness Loch Ness (Business Improvement District)
Contact: through the website (membership).
Coordinator: North Coast 500 Ltd
Area covered: North Highland Coast – Black Isle, Caithness, Easter Ross, Inverness-shire, Sutherland, Wester Ross
Contact: enquiries@northcoast500.com
Coordinator: Cairngorms Business Partner/Cairngorms Chamber of Commerce
Contact: 01479 810200 or office@visitcairngorms.com
Inverclyde
Coordinator: Inverclyde Council/Local Tourism Partnership
Contact: discover@inverclyde.gov.uk
Midlothian
Coordinator: Midlothian Tourism Forum/Midlothian Council
Contact: liz@midlothiantourismforum.co.uk
Moray
Visit Moray Speyside (VMS) is the Destination Marketing Organisation and Tourism Business Improvement District (BID) Company for the Moray & Speyside area of Scotland.
Coordinator: Visit Moray Speyside
Contact: info@morayspeyside.com
North and South Lanarkshire
Orkney
Perth & Kinross
Coordinator: Perth & Kinross Council County City Centre Management
Renfrewshire
Scottish borders
South of Scotland – Scotland Starts Here
The South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) is the Destination Marketing and Management Organisation (DMMO) for the South of Scotland. Scotland Starts Here is a destination marketing campaign – the visitor information website, app, and social channels – for the South of Scotland and is owned and run by SSDA.
Coordinator: The South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA)
Contact: suzanne@ssdalliance.com
Shetland
South Ayrshire
South of Scotland – Scotland Starts Here
The South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) is the Destination Marketing and Management Organisation (DMMO) encompassing Dumfries & Galloway and the Scottish Borders. Scotland Starts Here is a destination marketing campaign – the visitor information website, app, and social channels – for the South of Scotland and is owned and run by SSDA.
Coordinator: The South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA)
Contact: suzanne@ssdalliance.com
Stirling
Coordinator: Your Stirling
Contact: enquiries@yourstirling.com
Coordinator: Love Loch Lomond
Due to the large area Loch Lomond and the Trossachs represent, this listing is also included in the Argyll & The Isles and West Dunbartonshire sections.
Contact: Karen Donnelly manager@lovelochlomond.com
West Dumbartonshire
Coordinator: West Dunbartonshire Council
Contact: via website
Coordinator: Love Loch Lomond
Due to the large area Loch Lomond and the Trossachs represent, this listing is also included in the Stirling and Argyll & The Isles sections.
Contact: Karen Donnelly manager@lovelochlomond.com
Western Isles
Also have an industry website
Coordinator: Outer Hebrides Tourism
West Lothian
Coordinator: Visit West Lothian