Scotland’s Year of Stories

Stories are a vital part of Scotland’s culture and every town, city and community has a tale to tell. Shared stories, whether spoken, written, sung or filmed give a sense of place, history and belonging and this year we are

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golf ball on a tee

Golfing in Scotland

Scotland is a great destination for golfers and considering the sport was born here, with good reason too. Thousands of people visit our Country every year to play a round or two at some of the hundreds of courses we

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a thistle

Thistle – The Perfect National Flower

The Scottish Thistle is the oldest recorded ‘National Flower’ and is probably one of the most well-known, and instantly recognised symbols of Scotland. You may recognise the flower but do you know the history of how it became the national

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National Museum of Scotland

Museums in Scotland

Scotland is a country steeped in history, royal stories, innovations and inventions and one of the best places to learn about this is our museums. That’s why we’ve put together this list of some of our favourites for you to include

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man snorkelling

Six Beautiful Snorkelling Sites in Scotland

Scotland offers some truly spectacular coastline, and while summer may not always offer us sunbathing weather, one alternative way to enjoy a beach day is to don a wetsuit, grab a snorkel kit and explore the hidden world beneath the

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a street in Aberdeen

What is Aberdeen Famous For?

Aberdeen is one of the oldest cities in the UK with people living in the area for over 8000 years, it’s also Scotland’s third largest City. A fantastic city to visit with lots to see and do, here are some

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Scottish castle on the banks of a loch

We love Scotland

This Valentine’s Day we are celebrating all the things we love about Scotland, the people, the landscape, the food and even the weather. Here’s our top ten for you. 1. Ceilidhs A ceilidh is a Scottish gathering where people come

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a tartan blanket with Scottish words written across the top

Scottish Words and Their Meanings

We know many of you are looking forward to being able to travel again and visit Scotland to see our amazing scenery, visit our vibrant City and meet the characters of our Country. To help you to prepare for your

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Edinburgh at hogmanay

Customs and Traditions of Hogmanay

There’s no place like Scotland to celebrate Hogmanay – New Year’s Eve. It’s the biggest night of the year for a lot of Scots and people come from all over the world to bring in the New Year and celebrate

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Meet Madde

Many of you will have met Madde Ots, our Group Manager or have spoken to her on the phone or by email. We thought it would be nice for you all to know a bit more about Madde, so here

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Great Tapestry of Scotland to go on Show

More than 100 painstakingly created cloth panels tell the story of Scotland since 8500BC. And now, after a tour around venues across Scotland, the Great Tapestry of Scotland is going to its final home in the £6.7m Great Tapestry of

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Scottish mountains on a sunny day

We’re Good to Go

Thistle DMC are ready to welcome your guests to Scotland Here at Thistle DMC we know that you and your customers are keen come and experience everything our wonderful Country has to offer. We have been working hard to prepare

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MBTAG Launches New Scotland Starts Here Campaign

The Midlothian Borders Tourism Action Group (MBTAG) have launched a new travel inspiration website, Scotland Starts Here, to raise the area’s profile as a year-round tourism destination and to encourage more visitors to the Scottish Borders and Midlothian. The website will be supported

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A ruin of an abbey in Scotland on a sunny day

Discover the Abbeys of Scotland

Scotland’s abbeys served as the main religious centres before their demise came with the Protestant Reformation of 1560. Most of Scotland’s abbeys that can be explored today were built around the 1100s – 1300s with many being rebuilt after being

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Crowds at the World Travel Market Conference in London 2019

Our 50th at the 40th World Travel Market

World Travel Market (WTM) has been the leading global event for travel since 1980, and from 4 – 6 November, we’re joined at our stand by 18 different tourism companies to showcase all Scotland has to offer. This year marks

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World Tourism Market Logo

Say Hello at World Travel Market (WTM) 2019

Described as the leading global meeting place for trade travel, we are delighted to attend World Travel Market in London from Monday 04, November to Wednesday 06 November. We will be joining Visit Scotland at stand UKI20. The goal of

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viking ship on water

Scotland: Land of Legends

IN MISTY HOLLOWS and on desolate mountain slopes, from the cobblestoned streets of Edinburgh to pastel cottages on the Isle of Skye, Scotland’s ancient history imbues its landscape with layers of myth and meaning. On a trip to the Highlands and

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Wallace Monument Scotland

National Wallace Monument opens after refurbishment

The National Wallace Monument has reopened following a refurbishment of its exhibition galleries to celebrate the landmark’s 150th anniversary. Work to transform all three floors of the monument near Stirling has been going on since February. For the first time,

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trophies with a glass ball on top of black rectangle

Scotland Wins ‘Best Travel Destination’ in Beijing

Scotland has won ‘Best Travel Destination’ at Travel & Leisure’s annual Travel Awards Ceremony.  https://youtu.be/FlG6tbYaA88   The ceremony was held yesterday (18 April) in Beijing with Martin McDermott, Head of Scottish Government Office in China, accepting the award on VisitScotland’s

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Melrose Abbey in Roxburghshire

Scotland out performs rest of UK for 7th year running

Edinburgh Castle has retained its status as the 12th most-visited attraction in the UK according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) which today (Wednesday 27 March) released its members’ visitor figures for 2018. In addition to outperforming the

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Iona Abbey in Scotland

£60,000 upgrade for Iona Abbey

Iona Abbey is to undergo a £60,000 upgrade as we announced details of work to conserve and maintain the iconic site. A new conservation heating system is to be installed in the Abbey Church, to help protect against increasing levels

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people on the sea in yellow canoes

Why Wales?

Ten reasons to include Wales in your itineraries for the Travel Trade For a small country, Wales packs a lot in!  It’s a Celtic country located to the west of England and is about 250km (or 180 miles) long and

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shetland-isles from above

New plans to fire up Shetland tourism

Viking history, wildlife, the Northern Lights and Shetland’s unique geology form part of plans to increase tourism to the islands. Shetland Tourism Association (STA) figures show recent growth of 13%, from 65,000 in 2013 to 73,000 in 2017. But the

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landscape at dusk on the isle-of-skye

Why are tourists flocking to Scotland?

For the sixth year running, Scotland has outperformed the rest of the UK in attracting visitors to its tourist attractions. Edinburgh is the top UK destination outside London – but the whole country is benefiting from a tourism renaissance. So

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