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Relaunch of tourism website
22/04/2008
Tourism businesses across Scotland can flourish following key changes to the VisitScotland.com website, Jim Mather said today.
Mr Mather was speaking ahead of the relaunch of the site in Edinburgh later today.
He said:
"Since becoming Minister, I have hosted a series of round table discussions with key players in the industry about how we can give our visitors an absolutely first class level of service.
"At the top of that list was the strong desire for changes to be made to the VisitScotland.com website. We said that changes would be made to provide a much enhanced service to visitors and businesses and I am delighted that these changes have now been made.
"We have listened and we have acted.
"These changes show that the organisation and the Government is listening to the needs of both our visitors and the industry, and I know that those who were pressing for change are strongly supportive of the changes that have been made.
"This collective approach is one which I have taken across my portfolio interests, from tourism, to enterprise to energy. I believe it can deliver real results.
"VisitScotland.com is our door into Scotland, and these welcome changes will ensure that Scotland is at the very top of its game, able to continue to compete with the world's best.
"Businesses across Scotland are now set to take full advantage."
Technical changes and improvements have been made to the VisitScotland.com website as a result of extensive consultation with stakeholders.
VisitScotland.com already receives more hits than VisitBritain and VisitWales combined but it was clear that improvements could be made to ensure we stay ahead of our competitors in the domestic and global market.
The tourism industry and Scottish Government are working towards ambitions of delivering 50 per cent growth in tourism by 2015. The changes to the VisitScotland.com site are a key part of helping us to achieve that aim.