UK & Ireland
Game on for Scotland S
As the country prepares for three major events in 2014 that will put it in the global spotlight, Gary Noakes reports on a multi-million pound marketing campaign to be unveiled at WTM
cotland will get its biggest profile boost for many years in 2014 with a trio of major events that will bring worldwide attention.
July and early August will see Glasgow host the Commonwealth Games, whose 11 days of events will be the biggest of its kind in the UK since the London Olympics. Golf’s Ryder Cup will take place at the famous Gleneagles course in September and a programme to attract those with Scottish ancestry, Homecoming, will run all year. The three events will be marketed under the banner Scotland Welcomes the World. More details of the multi-million pound campaign by VisitScotland will be unveiled at WTM.
One million tickets are on sale for the
Commonwealth Games, with an expected television audience of a billion. Including the practice sessions, more than 250,000 spectators will be at Gleneagles during the week of the Ryder Cup, with an
was not just about 2014. “When you have globally important
events like this, images of Scotland are going to be seen around the world. “The enormous scale of WTM gives
Track cyclists head to Glasgow’s Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome next year for the 2014 Commonwealth Games
expected global TV audience of 0.5 billion. Mike Cantlay, VisitScotland chairman, said: “Next year is going to be massive. With the world’s gaze firmly on Scotland, 2014 really is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.” The Ryder Cup, played every two years between Great Britain and the US, comes
PRESTON TRAVEL GROUP (UKI100) John Markham, commercial director
WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST SUCCESS IN 2013? It’s been a good year for Preston Holidays, thanks to a sustained period of warm, sunny weather and excellent added value and exclusive offers. The traditional early bookers still booked early, but we also experienced strong late sales once people saw that the forecast was for continued good weather. The Channel Islands have had a much stronger year than 2012, when the weather was generally poor.
WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED? Probably the biggest challenge was the continued economic downturn in the UK, but with the combination of our offers and keen prices the year has proved to be a success.
WHAT NEWS WILL YOU BE SHOUTING ABOUT AT WTM? The launch of our new 2014 brochure with the largest selection
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of self-catering, guest houses and hotels we’ve offered to date, coupled with thousands of added-value offers and our range of exclusive offers.
WHERE IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVOURITE PLACE IN THE UK?Without doubt, it has to be the Channel Islands, which are so easily accessible by air and sea. The relaxed island life, fantastic beaches, incredible restaurants – so much to see and do, plus being sterling currency destinations whilst having a continental feel all adds up to a wonderful holiday experience.
to Scotland for only the second time in its 86-year history. It will be heralded by an all-star concert and coincide with a flotilla to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the building of the Forth Road Bridge. “This is where golf began and it is a
chance for us to show what Scotland has to offer,” a VisitScotland spokesman said.
VisitScotland a marvellous opportunity to sell our beautiful country to the world,” said Cantlay. “As part of the UKInbound stand, we are looking forward to welcoming representatives from both the UK and Ireland and from overseas and showing them exactly what Scotland has to offer.”
n Find out more on the VisitScotland stand, UK1500
EXPEDIA TRAVEL AGENT AFFILIATE
PROGRAMME (TAAP) (UKI445) Diego Pedrani, director, travel agent distribution worldwide
WHAT KIND OF YEAR HAS IT BEEN FOR TAAP IN 2013? A strong one, with a year-on-year double-digit growth in all major metrics for transactions and active affiliates. What’s very interesting is the steady growth of TAAP affiliates and the 300-plus new travel agent accounts opened with us this year.
WHAT NEWS WILL YOU BE SHOUTING ABOUT AT WTM? TAAP affiliates benefit from all the innovations that Expedia is pushing on
Expedia.co.uk. We recently increased the number of hotels and
bookable properties from 140,000 to more than 205,000. These range from the prepaid Expedia Special Rate hotels to the Expedia Traveler Preference or Hotel Collect that allow agents to choose between immediate payment or payment at checkout for each booking. We're also looking to launch a new travel agent platform to the UK and WTM is a good place to disclose what’s coming.
WHAT MAKES THE EXPEDIA TAAP PROGRAMME STAND OUT? We offer affiliates a 360-degree service model, pulling together the strength of Expedia’s product with a solid sales support concept, from sign-up through training and booking up to the commission payment. Our broad inventory of hotels across a variety of destinations, offering both advance booking and last minute departures, make us a great partner for travel agencies.
Some 100 events are taking place to mark
Homecoming 2014, which aims to appeal to the 50 million people worldwide with Scottish ancestry, particularly in the US and Canada. The festival, which first ran in 2009, is a nationwide event and has five themes – food and drink, creative, natural and ancestry. Homecoming’s £3 million budget will be backed by a £1.75 million marketing campaign. “It’s a lot of fun and a chance for everyone
to get involved,” the spokesman added. He stressed that the marketing campaign
Glasgow 2014
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