VisitAberdeenshire News - December 2024

It was a pleasure to welcome so many North-east tourism professionals to the Tourism Conference on 19 November. A wide-ranging programme was not afraid to address some of the challenges as well as opportunities faced by the sector. Looking ahead  the hospitality apprenticeship panel captured a sense of optimism that the future of the sector is in safe hands with confident, well trained young professionals expressing their enthusiasm for working in the industry.

Meantime, 2025 is fast coming over the horizon, and the headlines are already writing themselves. The return of the Tall Ships is sure to be a summer highlight, and new attractions like the ‘Greatest 36 holes in Golf’ at Trump International will further enhance the regions’ tourism credentials. To be sure that we capture so much more of what is going on, please see our ‘Top Five for 2025’ feature below.

Chris

What are your ‘Top Five for 2025’?

To help us plan our activity for the year ahead, we want to hear from you. Are you launching a new product or experience, hosting or attending an event, is something happening across the region that everyone should be aware of, or do you have any refurbishments or updates coming up? Let us know up to five things that you are looking forward to in 2025 by completing this form.

Aberdeen Convention Bureau introduces ‘James Clerk Maxwell Ambassador of Excellence Award’

Aberdeen Convention Bureau (ACB), an arm of VisitAberdeenshire, has recognised the efforts of the city’s academics to bring 77 conferences and association events worth £52m to the regional economy during 2023 and 2024.

For the first time, an academic was presented with the ‘James Clerk Maxwell Ambassador of Excellence Award’. Dr Gerald Lip from NHS Grampian was awarded the accolade, for his work and support for the ambassador programme.

The award was inspired by James Clerk Maxwell’s pioneering role in bringing the British Association for the Advancement of Science to Aberdeen in 1859, and his work to develop a venue to accommodate the event, the place we now know as the Music Hall.

Call for Buchan food & drink businesses to promote their produce at the Taste of Buchan 2025

VisitAberdeenshire has been advising S6 Travel and Tourism pupils at Peterhead Academy through a DYW Collaborative Partnership. Through this partnership, now in its second year, the pupils are organising the ‘Taste of Buchan’ event to promote Buchan's local food & drink businesses to the public.

'Taste of Buchan' provides businesses in the food & drink industry the opportunity to exhibit and network with other producers and suppliers as well as consumers. Building on the success of 2024, the pupils are excited to work with new and returning businesses in 2025.

Click here to find out more about how you can get involved either as a consumer or exhibitor.

November Travel Trade Updates

November was a busy time for travel trade activity. Alanna Fowler attended Global European Marketplace in London in November, speaking to buyers from global markets, with a focus on sustainability, community engagement, and high-end experiences.

We also welcomed Reisekultouren, a German tour operator, for a familiarisation visit. The trip focused on cultural experiences with opportunities to give back to the community, and we are already seeing confirmed bookings with local suppliers as a result of the visit.

Alanna and Millie Clarke attended Scotland’s Cruise Conference in Dunfermline, where discussions centred on community engagement and collaborating with excursion companies. The month was rounded off in Edinburgh meeting buyers members from the UKInbound association. This has already led to three Virtual Destination Updates with businesses keen to learn more about our region.

Read all about it: Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire in the news

VisitAberdeenshire recently facilitated two high-profile media opportunities.

Aberdeen was named one of Conde Nast Traveller’s best places to go in the UK for 2025, with the region’s culinary excellence highlighted as one of the reasons to visit the city.  Read the full article here.

Well-known TV mother and daughter duo Andi and Miquita Oliver’s ‘Stirring it Up’ podcast series was recorded in the location in August. Last month, we announced the launch of the first episode. We are delighted to share that, a further three Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire episodes are now live.  

Listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The latest consumer insights

Understanding visitor intentions, behaviours and attitudes is important to help us understand what motivates their travel plans and how they perceive our destination. VisitAberdeenshire is committed to carrying out annual research on this and the 2024 results are in.

With highlights including what visitors like to do whilst on holiday and how they decide where to travel, we have put together a resource to help you use this insight in your own business planning and marketing.

View the lights, factsheet and full slide deck here or register for the upcoming webinar with David Edwards of Scattered Clouds, here.

SITE Scotland Familiarisation Visit

In November, Aberdeen Convention Bureau hosted 11 SITE Scotland members in the North-east over 2 days. SITE, Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, work with hoteliers, destination management companies (DMCs), Venue professionals, entertainment providers and Professional Conference Organisers (PCOs) to promote Scotland as a destination for Incentive Travel. Over the two days, they visited and experienced some of what Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire can offer this market, including a whisky tour and tasting at Glen Garioch, a masterclass at Dough & Co and dinner in Meldrum House’s Titan Sky Bar.

If you would like to find out more about the Incentive Travel Market and how you can get involved, click here to join us on Tuesday 14 January for our next ‘VisitAberdeenshire Presents…’ webinar.

Northern Nights marketing update

VisitAberdeenshire’s winter marketing campaign ‘Northern Nights’ is in full swing, and now takes a short break until after the new year, when the promotion will ramp up. However, businesses are still encouraged to continue tagging ‘@visitabdn’ in social media posts, ‘#NorthernNights’ and sharing any imagery of your dark skies, night time and winter scenery during this time.

If you are hosting any events or experiences, please ensure your business listings are up to date and your events are listed on the ‘What’s on’ guide, featuring the ‘Northern Nights’ tag. For more information on how you can get involved, you can view our ‘Dark Skies toolkit’, or arrange a one to one with a member of the Tourism Development team.

Responsible Tourism one to one advice available

Responsible Tourism is key for the future of the tourism industry, benefiting the environment, community, and your business. VisitAberdeenshire’s new toolkit helps you implement responsible tourism actions, from fostering inclusivity to adopting sustainable practices. We are offering tailored 1-to-1 advice sessions to align with your business goals, from which you will receive a set of actions from the toolkit.  

Sign up to explore new opportunities for sustainable growth and access wider markets.

Follow the link below complete the online form, and our team will be in touch to schedule an appointment. 

Click here to register 

Upcoming VisitAberdeenshire events

With many more still to be announced. Look out for these coming soon in our upcoming newsletters and on our industry website.

NEWS FROM OTHER ORGANISATIONS

There’s still time to register for VisitScotland Connect, the national tourism organisation's flagship travel trade event.  

Held at P&J Live in Aberdeen on 9 and 10 April 2025, VisitScotland Connect provides eligible Scottish tourism businesses with an opportunity to showcase their products and services, make connections with the domestic and international travel trade and grow their business potential.   

The 2024 event helped over 220 tourism businesses connect with almost 260 tour operators and international travel trade buyers representing 23 countries. More than 7,000 meetings took place over the two days.  

If you are a trade-ready Scottish business and wish to apply to participate, full details can be found at www.visitscotland.com/connect.  

Applications are open for Food, Drink and Tourism Entrepreneurship Short course,  24 January 2025 to 14 February.

 Aberdeenshire based businesses are invited to apply for the next ‘Food, Drink and Tourism Entrepreneurship’ short course at Robert Gordon University. The course will provide you with the latest industry insights, business tactics, contacts, and networks. The live, online classes give you the opportunity to meet your cohort, lecturers, and have your questions answered in real-time.

Funded by UK Shared Prosperity. Applicants must live and/or work in Aberdeenshire.

Applications are closing on 10^th January 2025, 11.59pm. Click here to find out more.

Scottish EDGE announces new regional award thanks to The Scottish Government

Entrepreneurs living outside of the central belt of Scotland can benefit from a new programme, backed by funding from The Scottish Government. Recognising the entrepreneurial endeavours of candidates across Scotland, ‘Regional EDGE’ is inviting innovative, high growth start-ups from across Perth and Kinross, Dundee and Angus, North East, and the Highlands and Islands to be in with the chance of winning up to £50,000 in prizes. Each region will deliver its own ‘finals’, all individually resulting in five winners. Awards in each region will consist of one £50,000 top award, two £15,000, and two £10,000 awards.

Click here to find out more.

Sectoral Skills Assessments 2024: Tourism

Would you like to find out more about the demand for skills in Tourism or the occupations within the sector that are forecast to grow by 2034?

Skills Development Scotland have announced a webinar taking place on Thursday 12 December, exploring the latest Sectoral Skills Assessment for the Tourism Sector. Sectoral Skills Assessments provide a consistent evidence base to inform future investment in skills, for employers, partners, and stakeholders. They focus on key strategic drivers, the economy, current and future demand, and job postings.

For more information and to register, click here.