Falkirk tourism businesses do their bit to reconnect with foreign shores

Tourism businesses from recently Falkirk attended a virtual travel trade event aimed at reconnecting with global tour operators and travel agents in vital international markets.

The Scotland Reconnect 2021 (SR2021) event – organised and run by VisitScotland – took place at the end of April and saw almost 390 buyers from 26 countries connecting online with almost 300 Scottish suppliers for business meetings aimed at booking and creating tour packages for future visitors.

Tourism businesses, including Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway, the Falkirk Wheel, Anglers Jaunt and VisitFalkirk – a partnership bringing together the council and tourism businesses across Falkirk – signed up to SR2021 and promoted the area’s tourism offering to the world.

A total of 17 regional Destination Management Organisations attended and there were 12 regional destination showcases, including Forth Valley, sharing with buyers what makes Scotland and its regions so unique, including their landscape, history, food and drink, culture and warm welcome.

Over 7000 pre-arranged business meetings took place across the three days of SR2021.

Buyers from the USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Australia and Brazil all attended the virtual event, as well as London-based inbound operators representing the Japanese and Chinese markets.

Neil Christison, VisitScotland regional eirector, said: “This event has once again proven a great success at a time when reconnecting our tourism businesses from Falkirk with tour operators and travel agents in vital international markets has never been so important.

“This last 12 months has been devastating for tourism across the world but hopefully as travel restrictions ease, we can begin to plan some brilliant new programmes, products and itineraries for our international operators.

“I understand some fantastic and very valuable new connections have been made during the many 1-2-1 Scotland Reconnect appointments and I hope our buyers were both inspired and informed about our unique country through the regional destination showcases and panelist sessions.

“Tourism is a force for good – creating economic and social value in every corner of Scotland and enhancing the well-being of everyone who experiences it. Tourism makes Scotland richer, economically and socially and without it, Scotland would be a much poorer place.”