VisitAberdeenshire News - September 2024

There are still plenty of reasons for our visitors to be out and about enjoying our city and shire as we head into autumn. Chief among them is the Provenance Festival that returns to profile the aromas and flavours of the North-east during the last week of September – a great addition to our visitors’ experience this month.

And as we tip over the equinox this month, our Northern Nights campaign will launch to celebrate the darker evenings, providing an opportunity for a wide range of local businesses, events and initiatives to reach new audiences.

With tickets now on sale for the North-east Tourism Conference on 19 November at P&J Live, we are delighted to welcome Loganair on board as our platinum partner. Watch this space for further announcements on the inspirational programme and new supporting partners over the coming weeks.

I look forward to seeing many of you there

Chris

The countdown to the 2024 Provenance Festival is on! 21-29 September

With just over two weeks to go until Provenance Festival 2024, your guests have yet another reason to enjoy unique experiences across the region.

The Provenance Festival celebrates local food and drink by inviting visitors and locals to go behind the scenes, meet the producers and learn about the production of our wonderful local produce. From farm and distillery tours, tastings, collaborations and unique, specially created menus, food and drink businesses from all over Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are invited to take part. The festival takes place from 21 – 29 September, and with a variety of events over the nine days, there is bound to be something for everyone.

To find out more about the festival and view the events taking place, click here. To register to take part, please complete this form.

Unable to take part in the festival? You can still get involved by interacting with our social media channels and encouraging your visitors to attend events.

Provenance Festival instagram

Provenance Festival facebook

North-east Tourism Conference – 19 November 2024

VisitAberdeenshire is delighted to invite industry leaders and local businesses across the North-east to be part of this year’s regional tourism conference, taking place on 19 November 2024 at P&J Live, in association with Loganair. 

Hosted by BBC Scotland journalist Fiona Stalker, this long-awaited event - supported by P&J Live - will bring you together with organisations, businesses and individuals from across the region to focus on how tourism can help the North-east to thrive in 2025, and beyond.

To find out more about the conference and to book your tickets, click here.

There are a range of sponsorship packages available and the opportunity to exhibit at the event. For more information, please contact Kayleigh.mcleish@visitabdn.com.

Its zero-waste week!

Did you know that VisitAberdeenshire have a variety of sustainable tourism resources available on our industry website?

This week, why not take part in zero-waste week. Watch our webinar ‘Zero Waste Scotland: Reduce food waste, increase profits’ for inspiration, or, have a look at the range of case studies about businesses who have been recognised for their sustainable efforts.

If you are taking steps to reduce your waste, make sure to shout about it on social media this week with the hashtag - #zerowasteweek!

Click here to view the sustainable tourism resources.

Economic value of tourism in North-east of Scotland: a deeper dive

The economic impact of tourism in our area exceeded £1 billion in 2023. We now have 3 infographics which break this number down into more detail, with comparisons against the previous year. Our infographics cover the region as a whole, the City, and the Shire.

The model used by Global Tourism Solutions draws data from several sources including sector surveys, so if you are invited to contribute to surveys, such as the Visitor Attraction Barometer or the Accommodation Occupancy Study, we would appreciate it if you can take a few minutes to fill them in. The more responses, the more robust our numbers for the region are.

We hope you find these infographics of value and, as always, welcome any questions or comments: insights@visitabdn.com

Get involved with VisitAberdeenshire’s Northern Nights campaign

This winter, VisitAberdeenshire will be running a new marketing campaign promoting the region’s illuminating experiences and darks skies. Running from October to January, we want visitors to immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of winter by shouting about experiences such as our city’s vibrant festivals to Aberdeenshire’s stargazing credentials.

VisitAberdeenshire recently ran a ‘Dark skies’ workshop to help businesses identify ways they can get involved. We have also developed a toolkit to help you understand the advantages of dark skies tourism, how to be part of our marketing and make use of the Northern Nights branding and well as tips on becoming dark sky friendly. You can view the toolkit here.

If you already have a dark skies offering, event or experience, please let us know. Alternatively, if you would like to arrange a one to one with a member of the team to discuss, please contact us on industry@visitabdn.com.

Aberdeen culinary recognised in American magazine ‘Robb Report’

American journalist, Liza Weisstuch, recently visited Aberdeen and last week, published her first article on her experience, inspired by VisitAberdeenshire’s insight into our foodie scene.

Amongst phrases such as “Scotland’s emerging culinary capital” and “a foodies dream”, five local restaurants have been recognised for their authentic and sustainable cuisine, using local produce.

Click here to read the article.

Upcoming events

Game Changer Tourism Business Growth Programme 2025 - applications opening soon

The seventh round of the Game Changer Tourism Business Growth Programme will take place from Jan-Mar 2025. Applications will be opening soon. The Game Changer programme, developed and delivered in partnership by VisitAberdeenshire and Opportunity North East, with funding from UK Shared Prosperity Fund via Aberdeenshire Council, is designed to help tourism and hospitality businesses in the North-east grow. Through a series of workshops and one to one coaching, you will learn about identifying target markets, understanding customer demand, and refining your offering to meet that demand, and you will leave the programme with a growth plan for your business.

This programme is suitable for business owners or senior managers with the authority to implement change.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact industry@visitabdn.com. Otherwise, look out for applications opening soon.

VisitAberdeenshire Advertising Opportunities

Did you know? Our website, visitabdn.com, is consistently featured in the top search listings for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. During 2023 our website received an average of 145,985 page views per month.

If you have an event taking place and you want to reach our engaged audience to help increase awareness and potentially numbers attending, you can book a paid for advert on the What’s On page of the website.

For only £150 + vat for a 2-week block, your event can sit at the top of the What’s On page of the website and be visible to all visitors. To find out more and check availability contact Gemma Laing, Advertising Sales Executive.

News from other organisations

UK’s largest hotel survey open

AA Media and Clockwork marketing have launched 2024’s hotel survey, looking to collate the experiences of hotel owners, general managers and revenue and marketing specialists.  Covering questions such as the importance of sustainability, performance in 2024 and a look ahead to 2025, hoteliers are invited to complete the survey here.

Scottish Golf Tourism Week (SGTW) 2025 – supplier registration open

Scottish Golf Tourism Week is an opportunity for businesses associated with the golf industry to engage with international golf tour operators from more than 30 countries. The 2025 event is set to take place at The Chester Hotel, Aberdeen from 18 – 20 March.  

The three day event involves face-to-face appointments, familiarisation trips and networking sessions. Registration is now open and more information can be found here.

Scottish Attractions Inspiring People Awards – Applications open until 20 September

Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) has announced the Scottish Attractions Inspiring People Awards, celebrating the people of world class excellence in Scottish attractions.

The five categories include Rising Star, Experience Maker, Technology innovator, Sustainability champion and People’s hero.

Applications are open until 20 September, with the award ceremony taking place at the ASVA annual conference in November. To find out more about the awards and how to enter, click here.

Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund – applications open

Community groups and charities are invited to apply for up to £50,000 to support eco-friendly initiatives in the North-east and Moray.

Now in its third year, the Scottish Government-funded initiative (managed and delivered locally by ACVO TSI, Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action and tsiMoray with support from NESCAN Hub and Money for Moray) provides communities the opportunity to propose projects that address local needs whilst contributing towards a net zero future.

For more information on the fund and how to apply, click here.

Latest industry insights at national level

VisitScotland and 56 Degree Insight have recently published research which focuses on visitor behaviour and intentions, and the factors influencing these. Both publications cover this season and look ahead to intentions for the rest of the year too.

UK Residents Holiday Sentiment Tracker | VisitScotland.org

Scottish Tourism Index — 56 Degree Insight

VisitScotland Tourism Experiences webinar series

To support Scottish tourism experiences (visitor attractions, activity providers and tour companies) build their digital skills, VisitScotland has launched a new webinar series providing digital support and advice across a range of topics, such as ‘boost your bookings’, Google Things to do and working with the travel trade. The series will provide practical advice and is designed to support your business. To find out more, click here.