Tourism businesses from Dumfries and Galloway are being invited to sign up to an event at which they can do business with global tour operators, travel advisors and Destination Management Companies representing Scotland’s most important visitor markets.
VisitScotland Connect 2026, supported by Visit Glasgow, will be held for the first time in the city next year at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) and registration is open. The event is a key part of the national tourism and event organisation’s activity to drive the visitor economy by increasing Scotland’s share of global tourism.
Annandale Distillery, Gretna Green, The Cairndale Hotel & Spa, and destination management and marketing organisation, South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA), attended this year’s event at P&J Live in Aberdeen, where Scottish tourism businesses met with travel intermediaries. These included tour operators and travel agents who plan trips to Scotland for their clients across the globe, including in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the UK domestic market.
These operators help promote a spread of destinations and can ensure the South of Scotland is included in travel itineraries for the coming years and that the holiday offering continues to evolve and fit the demands of the modern traveller.
VisitScotland’s flagship travel trade event is designed to provide a targeted platform for trade-ready Scottish businesses – including accommodation, experiences and attractions – to connect with domestic and international travel trade buyers.
David Hope-Jones, Chief Executive of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance, said: “The energy at this year’s VisitScotland Connect was extraordinary. With over 80 meetings with international buyers, the South of Scotland truly shone. And the response was phenomenal: buyers were actively seeking us out, telling us that we were the region they most wanted to connect with. From rich heritage and history to literary experiences and breathtaking landscapes, it’s clear we offer exactly what the future global travellers are looking for.”
Lee Medd, Head of Place Marketing, Annandale Distillery, said: “VisitScotland Connect has been a game-changer for us. The format is incredibly efficient, allowing us to have high-quality, face-to-face meetings with a large number of international travel trade partners that we simply couldn’t reach otherwise.
“What stood out this year was the ability to personally convey the passion behind our unique 3-site visitor proposition – something that just can’t be captured in an email. The results speak for themselves. We’ve converted new relationships from key markets like North America, Asia, and India into tangible bookings, not just for remaining 2025 space, but for forward bookings into 2026 and 2027.
“This long-term engagement is invaluable, as it allows us to strategically plan for the future and make necessary adaptations, such as translations, to ensure we deliver the best possible visitor experience across all our sites.”
New figures* show that this year’s event, which was attended by almost 250 tourism businesses and over 270 travel intermediaries, resulted in bookings worth an estimated £8.6 million to Scotland.
A survey conducted after the event found that every Scottish tourism business who responded anticipated generating sales for their business as a result of attending. Additionally, 91% of travel trade buyers said they anticipate introducing, expanding, updating or changing their programme or products as a result.
A total of 8,200 meetings were held – up by 1,200 on 2024 – and 50 of the Scottish tourism businesses who attended the event were new to VisitScotland Connect this year.
Figures show Scotland welcomed a record number of international visitors in 2024. With half of all overseas visitors booking their trips through tour operators or travel advisors, the event has been credited with helping Scottish suppliers get their experiences and services in front of global audiences.
In addition to the event in Glasgow, a specially-curated programme of familiarisation (fam) trips will be organised to showcase the best of Scotland’s tourism offering. Highlighting products with a strong emphasis on sustainability, these fam trips allow travel trade representatives to experience first-hand everything from local culture and food and drink to rail and public transport, luxury and outdoor adventures and wildlife at a variety of different destinations.
Gordon Smith, VisitScotland Destination Development Director, said: “VisitScotland Connect is an integral part of our work to help more Scottish tourism and events businesses to internationalise and capitalise on growing international interest.
“Tourism is vital to the South of Scotland, and I would encourage trade-ready tourism businesses in Dumfries and Galloway to sign up for 2026.
“According to Scottish Growth Sector Statistics, the average total overnight spend by international and domestic visitors to Dumfries and Galloway is £131 million. This stimulates investment, creates jobs in communities across the region, enhances Scotland’s global reputation, and boosts visitors’ and our own health and wellbeing.
“This is so important as the industry continues to face challenges as a result of the cost of living and the cost of doing business.
“I was pleased to see South of Scotland tourism businesses attending this year to showcase this unique and captivating region to a global audience.
“Encouraging visitors to explore the region all year round and to spend more money in our local communities is vital for the sustainable growth of the visitor economy.”
VisitScotland Connect will be held on 15 and 16 April 2026, at the SEC in Glasgow and is for businesses who are ready to work with travel trade. Trade-ready Scottish businesses can register to participate via the registration link on the Connect event website.
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