At long last...we have a marketing executive at the top of VisitScotland

Guinness Shadow
Originally uploaded by Steffe

From Guiness to VisitScotland - a good move at last by the country's tourist body. Malcom Roughbead, the marketing director has been promoted to Chief Executive.
The organisation has been in turmoil for a few years - there have been petitions to parliament about its website, questions asked about its strategy. Members have left in droves. We never belonged, thank goodness, but we benefit from the advertising operation. In return our one cottage alone produces about £100,000 a year for the Glencoe and Highland economy from visitors.
If you can run Guinness brands world-wide, as Malcolm Roughhead has done then you can run VisitScotland. I know Guiness, and I worked with them at senior level years ago. They have a good marketing operation everywhere around the world.
Already, the first move at VS has been to concentrate a lot of attention on the domestic market for visitors from England and the rest of the UK. Hoorah! That's where the money needs to go. Fish where the fish are, for heaven's sake. More than 80% of our visitors are from the UK, we must, must, must keep them sold.
Well done VS, Congratulations Mr. Roughhead. We don't know each other but since we are both Fellows of the Marketing Society, and of the Institute of Marketing we may well run across each other sometime. Doubt it, though. I can't be bothered to go to their shindigs each year, and I'll bet he doesn't either.
John

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At last, we get sense out of Visit Scotland

Chap called Mike Cantlay has taken over at Visit Scotland, the quango which handles Scottish tourism.
So far he has made three good moves since he took over in April. He is talking about modifying the grading system - good.

He has sacked the previous Chief - another good move.

He is now talking about getting all of us to concentrate upon our prime market, the UK, and the UK  holidaymaker.  80% of the tourists come from the UK - they are the target market that no one can afford to neglect.

Forget USA, forget the Commonwealth, forget most of Europe except for Germany, France and Italy.

Here is an extract from him. He is concerned that the Icelandic ash cloud may come back and disrupt travel again. Maybe, maybe not, but if it achieves the primary aim of getting everyone to focus on the core market that is ok with me.


"The whole country needs to get behind the idea that holidaying in Scotland is a good thing to do. It's a good time for the industry to be looking at their databases to be making hay of the 'staycation' phenomenon. I'm not saying you should use scare tactics [to remind Scots of the risks of flying abroad] but it's an opportunity to tell people that it's a safer bet to be in Scotland this year."

"Imagine the Edinburgh Festival with the airports closed! It would be the tourism industry equivalent of rain at harvest time. We need to put our marketing emphasis on the 'close market"

Ok, you've got my vote, Mr. Cantlay. You need all of us in tourism to help.

John
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