Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, has welcomed the announcement by Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop today (Wednesday 15 March) that Scotland’s programme of Themed Years is to continue beyond 2018, as part of her address to the tourism industry during Scottish Tourism Week 2017.
The Year of Scotland’s Coast and Waters will be celebrated in 2020 while the focus in 2022 will be the Year of Scotland’s Stories, both led by VisitScotland. With Dumfries and Galloway having over 200 miles of Coast and many wonderful lochs and Rivers 2020 promises to be a fantastic year for people to focus on our region. Also with thew region producing many scottish authors and being home to Scotland’s Book Town in Wigtown, 2022 the Year of Scotland’s Stories should bring the region some much needed attention also.
Scotland’s Themed Years have been running since 2009, providing a strong collaborative platform across industry to promote Scotland and its people, and encouraging the events and festivals sector to develop new and exciting programmes to appeal to both visitors and locals.
Speaking at the Scottish Tourism Week Signature Conference organised by the Scottish Tourism Alliance, Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop said:
“The Themed Years programme has succeeded in giving Scottish tourism an edge, galvanising partners to work together to promote Scotland and its people.
“Organisations and individuals who participated in the recent consultation were in favour of continuing with themed years. More importantly, a significant majority found the programme to be beneficial to their business or organisation. We also listened to the views expressed that the programme would benefit from longer time scales and the Years will now be delivered in a two year cycle.
“I am pleased that the programme will continue up to 2022, providing an ideal way to continue to celebrate the best of Scotland.”
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “We welcome the news from the Cabinet Secretary that the Themed Years will continue beyond 2018, and the fantastic opportunities that Scotland’s Coast and Waters and Scotland’s Stories will present in 2020 and 2022.
“Themed Years encourage industry to think in new ways and take more innovative approaches. They tap into new audiences and inspire visitors to see Scotland in a different way.
“In 2016, more than a million people attended events during the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design, while this year a 12-month programme will spotlight some of our greatest assets and icons, as well as our hidden gems, as we celebrate the 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.
“We look forward to embracing these new Themed Years, which reflect the diverse and rich offering Scotland has as a must-visit destination.”
For more on the announcement by the Cabinet Secretary, go to http://news.gov.scot/news/scotlands-special-themed-years-unveiled
