� IN FOCUS l THEME PARKS & ATTRACTIONS New Lanark Mills spins a yarn to woo groups


New Lanark Mills World Heritage Site is wooing group travel organisers, by highlighting its location as a stop-off between England and Scotland. The 18th century mill village is less than one hour from Glasgow and Edinburgh, and 20 minutes from the M74. Lynne Cooper, travel trade manager, said there are seasonal group offers, including Carols by Candlelight, Festive Afternoon Tea and Christmas shopping packages. “We offer a four-night pre-Christmas stay with entertainment and visits to local places of interest,” she said. “Lanarkshire has a great deal


to offer visitors, but it’s often overlooked as groups head through it travelling to or from Glasgow and the Highlands. We’re now working with Visit Lanarkshire, VisitScotland, Scotland’s Heritage and Historic Scotland to ensure tour planners are aware of the many group-friendly attractions.” She added: “Last year we launched ‘Spinning a New Yarn’, a PR and marketing campaign to


Sturgeon sets out recipe to attract food and drink tourists


Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has unveiled a plan to develop food and drink tourism in Scotland that will aim to deliver an additional £1 billion to Scotland’s economy by 2030. There will be support for visitor attractions to achieve the ‘Taste Our Best’ quality assurance accreditation, and improved marketing for food and drink tourism. Marc Crothall, Scottish Tourism Alliance chief executive, said: “Collaboration is the foundation of our national tourism strategy and the Scottish Tourism Alliance is delighted to be working in partnership with our friends and colleagues at Scotland Food and Drink to deliver this first Food Tourism Action Plan for Scotland.” scottishtourismalliance.co.uk


46 TravelGBI | November 2018 NEWS IN BRIEF


w Edinburgh to host tourism conference


The Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa Edinburgh will host the next European Cities Marketing (ECM) Spring Meeting (February 13-15). About 175 destination leaders will debate Europe-wide issues that are also relevant to tourism in Edinburgh, such as destination management and


highlight our group offer. Some groups have discovered us, and come back two or three times a year to experience changes in the scenery. When you arrive at New Lanark you look down on the village from the road above. I call that point the ‘Wow’ spot, because of the comments our visitors make when they first see the village.” About 350,000 visitors each


year see the millworkers’ houses, historic machinery and the ‘Annie McLeod Experience’ which tells the


Ride the Hogwarts Express along with Shearings Holidays


Shearings Holidays has a new tour for 2019 that includes a journey on the Jacobite Steam Railway – better known as the Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter films. Travelling along the West Highland Line from Mallaig to Fort William, this journey crosses the


21-arched Glenfinnan Viaduct. The eight-day Fort William &


Jacobite Steam Railway tour is available by coach or rail and is based at the Bay Caledonia Hotel. shearingsagent.com


Tauck adds 11-day Scottish Isles and cities tour to 2019 range


Escorted tours specialist Tauck has added a holiday for 2019, that includes a land tour and a small- ship cruise in Scotland. The 11-day Legendary Scottish


Isles, Edinburgh and Glasgow experience includes a seven-night cruise of the Scottish isles, plus visits to Glasgow and Edinburgh


with the chance to visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Royal Yacht Britannia. tauck.co.uk


story of a child millworker. The original machinery also


produces the New Lanark Wool & Textiles range, which was used to make jumpers worn by Harry and Ron in the first Harry Potter film. Visitors can buy the wool, an


extensive range of Scottish textiles, souvenirs and gifts, in the Mill Shop. The 38-room New Lanark Mill


Hotel offers visitors the chance wake up in the middle of a Unesco World Heritage Site. newlanark.org


travel trends. edinburgh.org


w Solheim Cup tees up growth in the market for women golfers


VisitScotland predicts that hosting the Solheim Cup at Gleneagles (September 13-15 2019) could spark growth in the female golfer visitor market. Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland chief executive, said: “With a global push on female golf participation and some countries seeing in excess of 40% female golf participation, there is huge growth potential in the female


golf visitor market.” solheimcup2019.com


w TEDSummit 2019 heads to Edinburgh


Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has welcomed the organisers’ decision to host the TEDSummit 2019 in Edinburgh. She said it was “an opportunity to show off Scotland as a home of innovation and of creativity”. TED (Technology,


Entertainment and Design) is a non-profit organisation devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. About 1,300 members of the international TED community will be at the summit in the Edinburgh International Conference


Centre from July 21-25, 2019. tedsummit2019.ted.com


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