Flying Scotsmen Welcome £1m Tourism Investment for Loch Ness

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , /by

New vessel ‘The Rebel’ swaps French Riviera for Scotland’s Highland Haven to help more visitors hunt for Nessie

Leading UK cruise operator Loch Ness by Jacobite unveiled a new vessel on Thursday 20 August to take even more tourists along Scotland’s largest loch.

Launched by ‘flying Scotsmen’ in kilts, the new boat is one of the company’s largest investments to date, increasing its fleet to four and allowing Loch Ness’ only five-star cruise company to host an additional 800 visitors per day on one of Scotland’s most iconic vistas.

Aptly named ‘The Rebel’, this latest addition is part of a £1 million investment which will allow Loch Ness by Jacobite to further support economic growth in the local area and Scotland.

Reaching top speeds of up to 12 knots, the boat was originally designed and built in France, where it sailed between Cannes, Nice and St Tropez before traveling to the Scottish Highlands.

After recently moving its head office to new visitor-friendly premises at Dochgarroch on the Caledonian Canal, The Rebel’s arrival also comes in the same year the firm launched a new brand after almost four decades in business.

The new ‘Loch Ness by Jacobite’ brand is already becoming a familiar sight around the loch for both locals and visitors, and can be found on the company’s fleet as well as at its new headquarters.

Freda Newton, managing director, Loch Ness by Jacobite, said: “The introduction of The Rebel along with our new headquarters and rebrand provides us with the perfect opportunity to strengthen our international appeal, building on Scotland’s natural strengths.

 “The Loch Ness Monster is a hugely popular global attraction and we wanted to make sure that we could accommodate the ever-growing interest in exploring the area by water.

 “It is great to be able to give our new vessel such a splashing Scottish welcome as we prepare to carry more people on a journey of discovery around Loch Ness.”

The company’s growth marks the 40-year-old attraction’s strategy to attract more international visitors to the world renowned site and position Loch Ness by Jacobite as the best way to experience the magic of the water.

Unlike the loch’s legendary occupant – the Loch Ness Monster – the colourful fleet already attracts over 100,000 tourists a year from every corner of the globe. And now armed with a new name and additional boat there will be no mistaking its authority on the loch.

This latest investment has been supported with funding by Highlands and Island Enterprise and the Bank of Scotland.

Barrie Aird, SME banking relationship manager at Bank of Scotland, said: “Loch Ness by Jacobite reflects the vibrant tourism industry that Scotland is renowned for. This is a very exciting venture to be part of as we’re committed to supporting the growth of local businesses and economies.

 “Jacobite is going from strength to strength and this latest investment in The Rebel highlights the demand for its services which cater for the growing number of tourists visiting the area. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the business and seeing what the future holds.”

Nicola Douglas, head of business growth at HIE for the Inner Moray Firth team, said: “We have worked with Loch Ness by Jacobite for a number of years and we are delighted to support their latest venture. Loch Ness is a destination that attracts visitors from across the world and the new vessel The Rebel adds to the high quality experience offered by the company. We wish Loch Ness by Jacobite all the best and look forward to working with them in the future.”

Established in 1975 by Inverness quarry master the late Dan MacWilliam, Jacobite has continued to evolve through the decades to provide a five-star range of cruising and touring experiences on the stunning Loch Ness.

Originally a popular attraction for those in the Highlands, Loch Ness by Jacobite has grown its international audience since its inception and now boasts visitors from all over the world, including the USA, Malaysia and Australia.

Based in Inverness, Loch Ness by Jacobite now operates a fleet of four luxury vessels, the Jacobite Queen, the Jacobite Princess, the Jacobite Warrior, and now the Jacobite Rebel, offering daily trips on the world famous Loch.

To find out more about Loch Ness by Jacobite visit: www.jacobite.co.uk or follow @Jacobitecruises

To hear what Nessie has to say, follow @RealNessie

 

 

 

asva marketing award

ASVA Marketing Award Open for Entries

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Scottish Visitor Attractions Encouraged to Shout about Successes

ASVA, The Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions, has opened entries to members for its annual Marketing Award and is encouraging attractions large and small across the country to apply for the award.

The prestigious marketing award, in its 10th year, celebrates excellence, innovation and creativity in marketing by Scottish visitor attractions, with past winners including Our Dynamic Earth, Stirling Castle and The Scottish Seabird Centre.

Laura Adamson, Marketing Manager of The Scottish Seabird Centre, 2014 ASVA Marketing Award Winner for its campaign ‘Puffin’tastic Fun’ said:

“Applying for an award can be a difficult process – there are not many of us who are that keen on ‘blowing our own trumpets! Winning the 2014 ASVA Marketing Award was a great boost, not only for me, but for the entire Seabird team, as our Puffin festival campaign had been a real team effort. There are the benefits of being recognised by your peers, by the industry and gaining increased exposure, but ultimately knowing that you all worked together to achieve something award-winning gives you a real sense of achievement.

Winning is brilliant, but even entering for the award is extremely worthwhile – I would highly recommend taking the time to reflect on the great job your team is doing and shouting about it.”

ASVA’s mission is: ’To support and inspire Scottish visitor attractions to deliver sustainable, world class experiences’ and the annual ASVA Awards (open to ASVA members) offer a fantastic opportunity to gain recognition not only from industry peers but from visitors, in terms of the creativity, innovation and quality of Scotland’s visitor attractions.

The closing date for award entries is 14 September 2015.

For more information on the 2015 ASVA Marketing Award email info@asva.co.uk or visit www.asva.co.uk

Guest Blog: Destination Leaders Learning Journey to Amsterdam

/0 Comments/in , , , , , /by

In this guest blog, Kenneth Wardrop, Edinburgh Institute Programme Leader for the Destination Leaders Programme at Edinburgh Napier University shares his thoughts on the recent DLP learning journey to Amsterdam.

Robert Louis Stevenson famously said: “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” In this context the benefits of taking our current group of Destination Leaders Programme participants on a learning journey to Amsterdam, created the opportunity to gain an external perspective and to reflect back on the operations and competitive positioning of our destinations – Edinburgh, Argyll and the Isles and Scotland.

The visit which was hosted by Amsterdam Marketing proved inspiring. Amsterdam Marketing’s Director of Marketing, Geerte Udo, provided powerful insights in to the success of the ‘Iamsterdam’ brand and global place marketing, the value of alignment of destination messaging, the power of a shared and clear vision for the destination, strong leadership provided by Amsterdam Marketing, and the benefits of collaboration.

On the learning journey the group were also hosted by the Van Gogh Museum , a commercially dynamic and creative cultural venue, and IJVenues : ‘Amsterdam’s first Music and Conference centre’, which provided a powerful case study on the ‘value-add’ that can be achieved through product innovation and cooperation. EI staff and the DLP participants were very appreciative of the time given by tourism industry colleagues in Amsterdam in sharing their experiences and insights with the group.

Following the visit DLP participants commented that the value of the learnings and insights gained over the past 5 months of the Programme all became apparent on this learning journey.

Diane McRae, Senior Event Manager at the Royal Yacht Britannia and DLP 2014/15 Participant said: “For me a key learning point from Amsterdam is that collaboration in the city comes across strongly from the top down and the ground level up, with the destination taking the experience from this collective approach and positively moving it forward, this is something our destination can learn from.”

Kenneth Wardrop, Associate, Edinburgh Institute Programme Leader for the DLP, 22 March 2015.

Programme information:

Based on an internationally acclaimed initiative originating from Melbourne, Australia, the Destination Leaders Programme (DLP) is a unique opportunity to build a new leadership model for Scottish tourism. Participants play an active role in helping position Edinburgh, St. Andrews and Argyll as world leading tourism destinations. Now in it’s second year, the second programme commenced in October 2014 and by May 2015, thirty-eight indiviuals will have graduated.

The DLP pilot programme was developed in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University and delivered by the Edinburgh Institute – the commercial arm of Edinburgh Napier University’s Business School – in partnership with Scottish Enterprise.

Bumper Year for Scotland’s Visitor Attractions

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions publishes 2014 Annual Visitor Trend Report

A record number of visits were made to Scotland’s visitor attractions in 2014. Newly published research shows an increase of 6.1% on 2013.

The announcement comes as the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) issues the findings of its 2014 Annual Visitor Trend Report.

Analysis of statistics submitted by over 250 of the organisation’s member sites confirms that 27,141,519 visits were made to visitor attractions across Scotland in 2014, a rise of 6.1% on 2013 figures.

The number of Scottish sites attracting over 1 million visits doubled to six in 2014, compared with three in 2013.

For the fourth year, the National Museum of Scotland was the most visited attraction with 1,639,509 visits recorded (free entry). Edinburgh Castle was once again the most visited paid for attraction with 1,480,676 visits.

Sectors which fared particularly well include museums & galleries, gardens and boat trip/ marine.

Visits to the Top 20 sites rose by 9%, with these sites accounting for 54% of all visits to Scottish attractions. Edinburgh continues to dominate the marketplace, with 10 of the top 20 attractions located in the city.

Welcoming the figures, Fergus Ewing, Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism said:

“Scotland is a first class destination for Visitor Attractions, with over 27 million people visiting attractions throughout Scotland and building on the successes of Homecoming 2014, the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup.

“I’m especially pleased to see for the first time, Scotland now has 6 attractions visited by over 1 million visitors which is a fantastic achievement.

“2015 is the Year of Food and Drink and I am confident we will continue to build on the momentum created in 2014 and on the long term benefits these events bring, building a strong, high quality experience that visitors will remember and keep them returning to Scotland for many years to come.”

Glasgow sites also fared well, recording an overall increase in visitor numbers of 492,249 (14%). Anecdotal evidence from visitor attractions in the city suggests that the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games contributed significantly to the rise. During July and August, which coincided with the Games, visitor numbers to Glasgow sites increased by 283,392 (34%). It is likely that this increase in visitors to the city impacted positively on other attractions across Scotland and contributed to the overall national increase.

Commenting on the rise in visits to Glasgow attractions, Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said:

“Glasgow is a world-class city, with a world-class cultural offering. The city has a wealth of stunning architecture and ‘must see’ attractions to suit all tastes. I am delighted that five hugely popular Glasgow attractions featured in the ASVA 2014 Annual Visitor Trend Report Top 20 including, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow Science Centre, the Gallery of Modern Art, People’s Palace and Winter Gardens and Riverside Museum.

“Last Summer Glasgow delivered the best ever Commonwealth Games and the city came alive during the Games as hundreds of thousands of UK and overseas visitors travelled to the city which helped contribute to the increase in visitor numbers over July and August.”

Major new attractions in Falkirk, including The Kelpies Tour, which generated over 43,000 visitors in 2014, and Helix Park, which up until September 2014 attracted 680,000 visitors, appear to have benefited tourism to the town and provided a spin-off for existing attractions such as the Falkirk Wheel, which saw visitor numbers increase by 26%.

David O’Neill, Chair of ASVA said: “It is clear that 2014 was a bumper year for the visitor attractions sector in Scotland as we reaped the benefits from Homecoming 2014 and major events including The Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup. The challenge is to build on this momentum as we move forward into 2015 and beyond”.

Media enquiries to Eva McDiarmid, Chief Executive, ASVA, Tel. 0141 229 0923, Mobile 07715 991718, E: eva@asva.co.uk

About ASVA

ASVA has over 480 member visitor attractions.

Visitor attractions in ASVA membership generate almost 5,000 Full Time Equivalent jobs for the Scottish economy.

For more on ASVA members: www.asva.co.uk

About the Visitor Trend Report 2014

The report was co-ordinated and collated by LJ Research of Edinburgh.

Inverness Businesswoman Jets to Oz to Sell Scotland

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

Inverness-businesswoman Freda Newton headed down under last week to join the Queen’s Baton Relay and fly the flag for Scottish tourism in a bid to increase visitor numbers from Australia. Read more

ASVA Cnnference 2013

Smart Talking with ASVA (Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions)

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

Smart Talking chats to Eva McDiarmid, Chief Executive of ASVA, the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions, ahead of next week’s Scottish tourism Twitter chat #scotlandhour which celebrates Scotland’s visitor attractions and museums. Read more

Scotch Whisky Experience

Scotch Whisky Experience Adds Flavour to Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2012

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , /by

Edinburgh’s 5 Star, award-winning Visitor Attraction The Scotch Whisky Experience is to become an Edinburgh Festival Fringe venue for the first time this year. Read more

Glengoyne Distillery

Love Loch Lomond Podcasts Transport Listeners to Bonnie Banks

/0 Comments/in , , , , , /by

Destination Organisation Love Loch Lomond has teamed up with media producer Paul Saunders to produce a series of five 20-minute audio guide podcasts to capture a real flavour of the destination, including features and interviews, focusing on some of the most interesting things to see and do in and around Loch Lomond.  Read more

Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery Generates Funds with New Technology

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , /by

Glasgow Museums have embraced the mobile technology sector to produce an audio guided tour App for the iPhone for Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, which launched on Tuesday 26th June.  The new App has gone on sale on iTunes, to be shortly followed by an Android version.  Read more

Scotland’s Biggest Tourist Boat Launched on Loch Ness

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

There’s a new giant on the Loch Ness horizon from this week (11th June 2012) with the launch of the majestic Jacobite Warrior, the biggest loch-based cruise ship in Scotland, set to carry up to 1,500 tourists a day.  Read more