Tourism is one of Scotland's major business sectors generating visitor spending of around £4.2 billion in 2005-06 and employing some 200,000 people across the wide spectrum of around 20,000 tourism-related businesses.
Tourism is an important element in the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of Scotland, from major cities to rural areas, many of which depend on the industry for jobs and infrastructure.
Increasingly in today's global market, especially in the developed world, more people have increasing leisure-time and disposable income, and many wish to use this to travel, try different experiences etc. This, along with Scotland's wide variety of beautiful natural heritage and scenery, interesting urban centres and friendly people and culture, combine to create a huge potential for us to compete with other destinations across the world.
The Scottish Government is also responsible for sponsoring 'Visit Scotland' and 'Event Scotland', organisations dedicated to raising Scotland's profile and boosting the economy though increasing tourism and events in the country.
In particular, information on the following is available:
- Tourism Framework for Change: Scottish Tourism: the Next Decade - The strategy document, a Tourism Framework for Change (TFFC) was published in 2006 and set out the ambition shared with the industry to increase tourism revenue in real terms over the decade to 2015. It also set out a series of target actions that would be needed to achieve this ambition. The new Scottish Government has adopted the TFFC strategy and the industry's growth ambition.
- Homecoming Scotland 2009: a project that is being managed by EventScotland to encourage those with a link to Scotland or who love Scotland to visit during 2009 which is the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns' birth. A series of events is being organised throughout the year to interest and encourage visitors to celebrate in all things Scottish; with themes of golf, culture, whisky, etc as well as signature events such as the "Gathering" of Clans in July.
- Tourism Framework for Change implementation groups: established in 2007 to oversee progress in delivery of the TFFC. Each group is industry-led, chaired by a "champion" from within the Scottish tourism industry who is charged with driving forward progress on the relevant issue and reporting to an overall Monitoring Group- which is again industry-chaired. Each group consists of membership from across the industry and public sector, representing those with a key role in the relevant issues. The following table sets out the implementation groups, their remits and the chairs. Further details (including progress reports and notes of meetings) will be available available on our website at www.tourismframeworkforchange.info which is currently being developed.
Group | Remit |
Monitoring group | Overseeing overall progress in delivery of TFFC and each of other implementation groups |
Market intelligence and innovation | Ensuring that tourism businesses make full use of available market intelligence to develop and provide what visitors want and innovation to refresh and deliver their products in the best way.. |
Marketing | Ensuring that all parties involved in marketing of Scottish tourism use effective marketing to increase numbers and revenue. |
Customer experience | Ensuring that tourism businesses offer the best experience to customers; by means of skilled tourism staff m,,,,,,, valued by their employer and businesses offer top quality-assured experiences. |
Corporate Scotland and infrastructure | To act as a conduit for communication; both outwards to the wider tourism industry, and inwards through Scottish Government representatives to Ministers in relation to key infrastructure and corporate issues. |
Sustainable Tourism Partnership | To promote sustainable throughout Scotland and support tourism businesses in becoming more sustainable |
Where the information within this class can be located
This class of information can be located within the ' Tourism' section of the Scottish Government website or through one of the alternative routes described under section 5 of this scheme.