Robert Louis Stevenson once said: “I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.”
Edinburgh’s literary son did, of course, stop moving from time to time.
His links with the north-east are well documented, with the famed author scribing the first 16 chapters of Treasure Island while holidaying in Braemar in 1881.
Without travel there would not be much of a tourism industry
Travel is the golden thread that weaves through the north-east’s economy and business community. Whether it is for leisure or the meeting of minds to crack the energy sector’s next move, the way people move around is vital.
Quite simply, without travel there would not be much of a tourism industry.
Recent enhancements to gateways and modes of transport are great news for our destination. Port of Aberdeen’s gargantuan south harbour has facilitated a new wave of visitors to the region.
Cruise ships from northern Europe have been a welcome sight for local businesses this summer. Arriving passengers have been warmly greeted by VisitAberdeenshire’s quayside volunteers, who have encouraged deeper exploration of the city and surrounding areas.
Elsewhere, Loganair’s route network, upgrades to Aberdeen’s railway station, electric and hydrogen buses, the introduction of The Big Issue e-bikes and Hoppa airport hotel bus service all combine to make the visitor experience smoother and greener.
Now in its sixth year, the AWPR (Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route) has opened up the Banffshire coast to visitors from the south, with shorter, more predictable journey times.
Innovation and investment will continue to improve connectivity, reduce carbon emissions and make journeys more accessible for travellers with specific needs.
The obstacles are often perceptions rather than realities.
We are no more than one stop from the world
Our team works hard to dispel myths about journey times to the north-east. The mantra to conference organisers is that we are no more than one stop from the world. Likewise, a London-based travel writer can be surprised to discover the journey from Hounslow to Huntly can be comfortably achieved within a morning.
VisitAberdeenshire is taking great strides to raise the destination’s profile among national media, landing top spots in glossy magazines’ “top UK staycations for 2023”.
ℹ️ @GHmagazine–#Aberdeenshire "best holiday destination in the UK for 2023"
Delighted #Aberdeenshire included in the hot list. 'Wellness travel' & 'mindful movement' focuses on the smells & noises whilst you exercise & the positive mental health impact
😎https://t.co/1CPNQKFTMv pic.twitter.com/Tt523o9mCK
— AberdeenshireEconDev (@EconDevAbshire) December 12, 2022
These span Good Housekeeping, Country Living and a recent feature in National Geographic Traveller magazine. The region is triggering the curiosity of journalists with a nose for a story about a less-discovered area.
We know the degree of travel tolerance time our targeted audiences are amenable to.
More than four-fifths (83%) of those surveyed would be willing to travel three to four hours for a short break and 97% for a longer break.
This tells us people who live in the rest of Scotland and northern England, as well as those within striking distance of a regional airport are primed for an Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire adventure.
While VisitAberdeenshire’s targeted marketing campaigns and PR helps to bolster demand, the reality of supply-side trading conditions cannot be ignored. From the costs of labour, energy and food to uncertainty over the impact of new legislation, the current environment is a challenge for hundreds of tourism small and medium-sized enterprises across the country.
There is no silver bullet but VisitAberdeenshire’s work – specifically its tourism development programme for 2023-24 – aims to equip businesses with some of the skills and customer insights that can help improve efficiency.
It’s not just visitors themselves who need reassuring about access options and travel times. Travel trade intermediaries, from coach operators in Wigan to travel agents in Wiesbaden need to know they can do business in the north-east of Scotland.
Trade events a great opportunity to bang the drum for north-east tourism
It is encouraging that VisitScotland Connect, Scotland’s premier travel trade event will return to P&J Live, Aberdeen, in 2024 and 2025 following a successful premiere in 2023. The previous event came hot on the heels of UKInbound’s convention in the Granite City during 2022.
These are great opportunities to highlight the very best of the north-east tourism sector to trade buyers – and to secure future business.
The same goes for other major business events. As the dust settles after Offshore Europe at P&J Live, we are reminded of the value and significance of hosting big conferences. This is a market expected to be worth an estimated £27.6 billion to the UK economy by 2026, according to research by Tourism Economics.
Data from VisitBritain indicates that for every international conference hosted in Scotland, each delegate will contribute an estimated £1,021 to the local economy.
And for every national conference, each delegate will bring in an estimated £448.
Conference organisers heading to Aberdeen for big annual awards date
The Aberdeen Convention Bureau, part of VisitAberdeenshire, and P&J Live look forward to hosting the Association of Professional Conference Organisers in December.
Members will gather in the Granite City for the association’s Excellence Awards 2023 event. It will be a wonderful occasion for influential industry figures to not only explore new horizons, but also experience the ease of access to the north-east by train, plane or automobile.
With so many options to arrive in style, I expect RL Stevenson would have been minded to stop by once again.
Chris Foy is chief executive of north-east tourism body VisitAberdeenshire.
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