VisitAberdeenshire Update - 4 October

As autumn leaves begin to fall, VisitAberdeenshire’s activity increases considerably with a packed programme of promotional work, and the start of the 2023/24 tourism development programme with a series of workshops and seminars on topics that can help you identify new business opportunities. We’re also back out on the road and look forward to meeting businesses in both Huntly and Alford areas in the coming weeks.

Please note. We will shortly be writing to all businesses who are listed on visitabdn.com regarding new terms and conditions for a listing, and specific action required for applicable businesses who have been issued with a Short Term Let licence.

Chris Foy

Reminder to please complete our Tourism Quarterly Business Monitor

Please take 5 minutes to give us your thoughts on the past quarter, traditionally our industry's peak period, together with a look ahead to Autumn, Winter and into the new year.

The more businesses that take part, the richer and more accurate a picture we will have.

The report we produce will provide actionable insights for your business, VisitAberdeenshire and the industry as a whole, giving baseline data relating to past performance, enquiries, bookings and optimism levels as we look ahead.

The survey is open until 8.00pm, Monday 9 October.

Click here to complete the survey.

The Tourism Development Programme is now in full swing

We kick started our Tourism Development Programme last week with a Travel Trade Masterclass and the first in our new series of ‘VisitAberdeenshire Presents…’ webinars.  We have a variety of workshops and webinars coming up over the next few months, covering topics such as Responsible Tourism, Digital Marketing, Customer & Market Insights and more.

Coming up in October:

You will find details of all our upcoming sessions, as they are announced, on our Industry Website.

Responsible Tourism and the ‘Purple Pound’ – what does it mean for the North-east?

Estimated to be worth £17.1 billion to the UK’s tourism sector, the ‘purple pound’ represents a significant market opportunity for any destination and has been identified as a priority for tourism growth in the North-east. VisitAberdeenshire is highlighting the value and worth through a series of events as part of the Tourism Development Programme.

Here is Tourism Development Executive, Rachel Smith to tell you more.

To find out more about the work that VisitAberdeenshire are doing in the lead up to Purple Tuesday, you can find out more here.

Local Area Networking Meetings

Please join us at our Local Area Networking Meetings. You will hear an update on our activity and how to get the most out of working with VisitAberdeenshire, and there will be time to network with fellow tourism and hospitality businesses.

‘Make a Day of It’ in Aberdeen this autumn

In a bid to celebrate the city this autumn, we have launched a new campaign aimed at people living in and around Aberdeen.

In partnership with DC Thomson, and supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the campaign will feature radio adverts on Original 106, a pull-out supplement with the Press & Journal, online articles on the Press & Journal’s website, as well as inspirational content across print supplements including Your Life. Click here to find out more.

New Above and beyond autumn campaign

VisitAberdeenshire last week launched the latest wave of the ‘Above and Beyond’ campaign. The multi-channel campaign focuses on quality experiences in the region, targeting audiences living in the rest of Scotland, northern England and the North-west. The campaign features paid social advertising, digital display ads and a content partnership with Reach PLC.  The campaign will run for another five weeks. The competition element is an important lead generation exercise, and allows us to remarket to this audience, and helps with evaluation of the impact of the campaign.

Take a look at the campaign video or Click here to find out more.

Read all about it – Aberdeenshire appears in The i

VisitAberdeenshire has been working hard to secure high quality, national media coverage for the region. As a result of a journalist’s press trip over the summer, The i newspaper last week featured Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire in a piece around value for money.

VisitAberdeenshire curated and hosted journalist Emily Bootle in the region, and the result is a great article, showcasing local businesses and experiences.

Take a look here.

Provenance Festival 2023 is now underway

Friday 29 September saw the start of the 10-day food & drink festival taking place across the North-east. More than 53 local businesses have created one-off behind the scenes experiences for visitors, celebrating the region’s wonderful food and drink businesses and producers.

The festival runs until Sunday 8 October and you can find out more about the events and experiences available here.

New Aberdeenshire Accommodation audit

On behalf of Aberdeenshire Council, VisitAberdeenshire recently commissioned Tourism Resources Company to carry out a baseline audit of the accommodation available within the Aberdeenshire Council local authority area. You can find a high level factsheet together with the more detailed slide deck here.

Travel Trade Update

Last month VisitAberdeenshire attended the annual UKInbound Convention in Belfast. The two-day event included meetings with inbound tour operators, as well as seminars on key markets and trends, such as the importance of sustainability in travel.

Alanna Fowler, Travel Trade Executive and Millie Clarke, Head of Tourism Development were delighted to be able to promote Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to a range of buyers. Key discussion points included our accommodation offer, unique customisable experiences, and outdoor activities.  

If you would like to develop a travel trade product or discuss marketing your existing travel trade products contact rachel.smith@visitabdn.com

Meet the Nordics

Norway is one of our closest neighbours and in 2022 was Scotland’s eighth largest international source market by number of visits. Recent insights from VisitBritain indicate that when comparing the number of Nordic visitor nights in Britain 2022/2019, there were strong gains for Scotland, with Aberdeen exceeding 2019 levels. The value of this market is predicted to grow and much of VisitAberdeenshire’s travel trade engagement has focused on Nordic markets in recent years, including attendance at trade events and hosting familiarisation visits. This activity will continue into 2024. VisitScotland’s factsheet highlights the latest annual data on the volume and value of Norwegian visitors to Scotland. Visitors from Norway - Research & Stats| VisitScotland.org

All information is correct at the time of publishing, we recommend that you check opening times and information for individual places before visiting.