Visitscotland

Peterhead Prison Museum team with Den McFarlane (VisitScotland Industry Relationship Manager) and Jo Robinson (VisitScotland Regional Director) presenting the Taste Our Best and Five Star awards respectively.

Geopark picture: Airborne Lens/VisitScotland/UNESCO National Trail.

It was revealed earlier this week that the VisitScotland information centre in Dundee will no longer operate, after the organisation decided not to renew their licence agreement.

But VisitScotland Chief Executive Vicki Miller this week suggested that any levy should be reinvested into the tourism sector and it is very hard to disagree with that.

It follows significant changes to the way people plan their holidays with most using online resources and travel specialists to research and book all aspects of their trips, according to VisitScotland.

Located in a secluded and peaceful setting in the grounds of an old monastery, Drummohr is a family and dog friendly holiday park that was awarded a five-star rating by VisitScotland in 2023.

Mr Hutchinson, of Bannockburn, a Press officer for government tourism agency VisitScotland, said later: "I was told in the hospital it was a stable fracture, which means it wasn't interfering with the spinal cord, so I didn't lose any motor functions.

She said: “I am sorry to hear of VisitScotland’s decision to close Balloch’s tourist centre, however, this does present an opportunity for the community and for local groups.

The site gives access to the Bruce's Stone, which is “dedicated to the Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, who took refuge in Galloway during the Wars of Scottish Independence”, VisitScotland said.

We have a toolkit on visitscotland.org that people can refer to, but if you are to go through it, a lot of people will say: ‘I am already doing most of that.

Around 100 representatives of the tourism and travel sector are expected to attend the eco-tourism summit at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre tomorrow, which is being jointly staged by Travalyst, the EICC and tourism agency VisitScotland.

VisitScotland chiefs were in Oban this week at the start of Year of Coasts and Waters 2020.

Coorie was identified as a new Scottish lifestyle trend at the end of 2017 by VisitScotland, which predicted the promotion of feeling snug, sheltered and cosy could see it become the nation’s answer to Hygge, Denmark’s famous way of life.

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s director of events, said: ‘Coastal Connections will be one of the early events to herald the arrival of Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 2020 and we are delighted to be supporting it.

VisitScotland has provided funding for the event through its Scotland’s Winter Festivals programme, which provides cash to projects celebrating St Andrew’s Day, Hogmanay and Burns Night.

The creation of the centre was supported by VisitScotland and the Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland, and was awarded £237,500 of Coastal Communities Funding.

VisitScotland appears to have decided to close tourist offices purely on the basis of footfall without regard to the geography of the area or to the number of visitors compared to the size of the resident population.

A tourist information office run by VisitScotland sits in the centre of town, offering free information, selling souvenirs and acting as a booking office for many of the local B&B's and hotels.