VisitAberdeenshire News - 9 May 2024
9 May 2024
The daffodils might still be out across the city and ‘shire, but we are already planning ahead to the autumn and beyond. The Tourism Development Programme is at the heart of VisitAberdeenshire’s work, supporting businesses across the region to meet customer and market opportunities. To ensure that we fine tune these sessions, your input is welcome. Do read on for details of our survey. While minds are on autumn we also have a ‘save-the’ date’ for the return of a North-east tourism conference, scheduled for 19 November. In the meantime, do join us for the next ‘VisitAberdeenshire Presents’ webinar on 29 May for a dive into what visitors have been doing and saying in our region and across Scotland.
Tourism Development Programme Survey
Throughout the year, VisitAberdeenshire plan and deliver a programme of webinars, workshops and one to one advice sessions to help hospitality and tourism businesses to grow their knowledge and skills.
We are currently reviewing and evaluating our 2023-24 activity and planning for the year ahead. To help us understand industry demand and where to focus our efforts, please take part in our end of year survey. Whether you have taken part in the programme previously or are completely new to it, any feedback provided will help us to create and develop a meaningful programme of support.
The survey will take around 5-10 minutes to complete and closes on Monday 20 May.
Click here to complete the survey
Quarterly Business Monitor Results
Results from our latest business monitor (April 2024) can be found below. 61 businesses shared their views on the past quarter (January to March), as well as a look ahead to enquiries and bookings in the coming months.
A summary factsheet, together with a detailed slide deck can be found on our Industry website here.
We value your contributions and appreciate you taking the time to fill out the monitor.
Upcoming events
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VisitAberdeenshire Presents… The latest regional insights Hear some of the latest tourism insights for our region in this upcoming webinar. We will share the volume and value headlines from the 2023 STEAM report, looking at how many visitors came to the region, how long they stayed and what they spent. We will also share some of the VisitScotland’s latest visitor survey findings, taking a local focus where possible. Date: Wednesday 29 May Time: 10am – 10:45am Location: Zoom |
Aberdeen City Local Area Networking Meeting You are invited to join us at our upcoming local area networking meeting for hospitality and tourism businesses based in, or operating in, Aberdeen. Come along to hear about VisitAberdeenshire’s activity over the last year with a look ahead to this year, and hear from Laura Wilson, Head of Convention Bureau to find out how you can make the most of business events. There will also be time to network with fellow businesses. Date: Tuesday 11 June Time: 4:30pm – 7pm Location: TBA |
Tourism Businesses graduate from sixth Game Changer Programme
Ten local tourism businesses have graduated from the latest Business Growth Tourism Programme.
Since its inception in 2018, more than 50 businesses have benefitted from the programme, delivered by Opportunity North East and VisitAberdeenshire. This year, the Aberdeenshire-business element of the programme was funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund on behalf of Aberdeenshire Council.
The programme helps businesses identify target markets, understand consumer needs and supports businesses to tailor services to reflect the experiences that visitors seek. Participants leave with a growth plan for their business.
The latest businesses graduating include: 4x4 Overland Hire, Bayview Apartments, Cammies, Cowden Farm Holidays, Glen Garioch Distillery, Huntly Development Trust, MM GolfTours, Northern Frights and Fantasy Scotland, Ride in Peace Adventures and Movement Evolution CIC.
You can find out more about the programme by clicking here. Applications for the 2025 programme will open soon. To note your interest in applying, please email industry@visitabdn.com and the team will be in touch when applications open.
The Provenance Festival returns
The Provenance Festival is back for 2024. VisitAberdeenshire is inviting North-east food & drink producers and businesses to become part of this year’s calendar of events.
The 2024 festival will take place from Saturday 21 September to Sunday 29 September, across Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen.
Last year, more than 50 businesses opened their doors to provide a range of experiences for visitors, with more than 100 events during the 10-day festival.
Once again visitors will have the chance to meet the people behind the brands and hear fascinating stories of the region’s pioneering businesses.
If you would like to be part of this year’s Provenance Festival, please register your interest here: Click here to Register your Interest or contact Leah Hodder, Project Manager on festival@visitabdn.com.
Provenance Festival is delivered by VisitAberdeenshire and Opportunity North East, supporting food & drink, tourism and economic development across the North-east, with additional support secured for this year’s festival from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, via Aberdeenshire Council.
Marketing Materials
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Content Hub
VisitAberdeenshire have a royalty free content hub full of inspiring imagery, music and artwork available for you to use in your promotion of the destination.
Using our Content Hub is easy - simply register for an account and request access to various assets. We'll let you know when your request has been approved and you can then download and use the assets in the promotion of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. You must accept our terms of use before using any of our assets.
Click here to create your account and request access. |
Phrase book
VisitAberdeenshire curated a selection of words and phrases that describe Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire that can help you in your own marketing communications.
Click here to view the phrase book. |
Social Media Tags
Our social media keeps the destination's inspiring story alive day after day. You can be part of this by tagging/mentioning us in your posts and stories using @visitabdn on Facebook and Instagram and using our hashtags - #visitABDN for all tourism related posts and #beautifulABDN for inspiring imagery - to help increase your online presence and engagement. By engaging with us we can see your content, and potential customers searching those hashtags will see your content too. Please see links below to our consumer social media pages:
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Other themes and ideas for social media content during May:
- Scottish Agritourism Month – whole of May
- World Cocktail Day – 13 May
- Mental Health Awareness week – from 15 May
- International Museum Day – 18 May
- World Whisky Day – 18 May
You can also check out our What’s On Guide to see if there are any upcoming events in the region that you can tie into.
Find tips and tricks in our newly curated bitesize Digital Marketing training videos.
News from other organisations
STA and SPS Advisory Webinar – Tuesday 14 May, 1:30pm
The Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) is partnering with SPS Advisory, an expert team of insurance lawyers and industry specialists, to deliver a free online webinar on navigating COVID-19 business interruption claims for the UK's tourism and hospitality sector.
Relevant for independent businesses in the UK's tourism and hospitality industry, this webinar will give an overview of the current landscape, highlight the opportunities, and offer accessible and actionable advice related to insurance and business interruption claims.
Scotland Visitor Survey 2023
VisitScotland has published the first phase of their latest Scotland Visitor Survey.
The survey took place over the course of March – October last year when over 11,500 face to face interviews were conducted. A further 3,000 online surveys were submitted.
Covering the whole visitor journey from planning, booking, right through to their time here, the survey aims to understand why visitors holiday in Scotland and what their experience is while they are here. You can find out more about the survey and its findings here.
Scottish Agritourism Month
May is Scottish Agritourism Month, celebrating the agritourism sector in Scotland. Over the course of this month, Scottish Agritourism will showcase the vibrant and diverse mix of businesses and success stories within the sector via their social media channels.
Members and supporters are encouraged to participate in the social media challenge, using the hashtag “#scottishagritourismmonth’ to share content.
The Umbrella Project Returns for its third year
Celebrating Neurodiversity, Aberdeen Inspired and The ADHD Foundation’s Umbrella Project returns to the city centre this month.
With 1 in 5 people being neurodivergent, the installation celebrates and raises awareness of the ‘umbrella’ term of neurodiversity, which includes ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia and Tourettes Syndrome.
The strings of colour can be seen across the city from the end of May until September, with the launch event taking place on Shiprow on Saturday 18 May.
You can find out more about the project and how you can get involved, here.