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CHAPTER FIVE IMPACT OF EVENT

Impact of Visit

5.1 51% of respondents said that they had learnt something new about Scotland at the event, with respondents at the Scottish Village much more likely than those at the Run to say they had learnt something. The key areas mentioned related to the stands at the Scottish Village:

• History/genealogy (54 respondents)
• Beautiful countryside/people (50)
• Fashion (35)
• Whisky (29)
• Music (28)
• Food (20)
• Loch Ness Monster (15)
• Golf (3)
• Good wool (3)
• Geography (3)
• Language (2)

5.2 The qualitative research suggested that participants fell into three main categories in terms of the learning outcomes from their visit to Tartan Week:

• Visitors who learnt specific facts or increased knowledge about Scotland. The majority of participants at the Scottish Village were able to list the range of things they had learnt about Scotland.

"I've learnt a bit about the scenery of Scotland."
Scotland Village participant

"I've learnt a phrase of Gaelic and learnt a lot about tartans."
Scottish Village participant

"Someone has told us about the history of the Picts and Celts and we've learnt about the tartans they were wearing."
Scottish Village participant

"I didn't know that I could look up my ancestry online."
Scottish Village participant

"I was surprised to see images of people surfing in Scotland - not what I imagined at all."
Scottish Village participant

• Visitors who had an increased interest in Scotland, without being aware of learning anything specific. This category included visitors to the Scottish Village and the Scotland Run who felt that they were more interested in Scotland as a result of their visit, and, therefore, potentially more likely to visit.

"I haven't learnt anything about Scotland and it hasn't changed my image, but it has made me more curious about Scotland."
Scotland Run participant

• Visitors who did not feel they had learnt anything about Scotland and were unlikely to be interested in finding out more. This was a small proportion of participants principally at the Scotland Run.

"I can't think of anything I've learnt about Scotland here, but I'm here to watch the runners."
Scotland Run participant

"I have learnt about Scottish music being the bagpipes, but I don't feel I've learnt a great deal."
Scotland Run participant

Unprompted Images of Scotland

5.3 Participants were asked, unprompted, what was their main image of Scotland. The responses showed that they had fairly traditional views of Scotland, with the key images of:

• Bagpipes
• Scenery/mountains/hills
• Kilts
• Whisky
• Tartan/plaid
• Loch Ness (mainly at Scottish Village)

5.4 Other images mentioned included golf, bad weather, friendly people, castles, shortbread and heather.

5.5 The traditional images of Scotland were confirmed when participants were asked what they perceived as Scotland's culture. The key description of culture related to Scotland's history, with people describing the heritage, ancestry and history of the country as key areas of culture. A few participants mentioned literature and traditional music as their image of Scotland, but this was usually because they had some connection with the arts or interest in Scottish arts.

5.6 Sir Sean Connery was the famous Scot whom participants were most likely to mention, followed by Ewan MacGregor and the Proclaimers. Other Scots mentioned were: Dougray Scott, Ian Rankin, David Byrne, Craig Ferguson, Jim Kerr, Rod Stewart and Andy Murray.

Image of Scotland - Prompted

5.7 In order to assess respondents' image of Scotland they were asked to select words or phrases which they associated with Scotland. The words shown to respondents were the same as those used in international surveys conducted by the Scottish Executive.

5.8 The words selected by respondents showed that they had very positive images of Scotland: 'beautiful scenery', 'friendly people' and 'traditional' were the key associations. The choice suggests that the Scottish Executive 'Modern Scotland' theme for Tartan Week events had not made an impact, but it should be noted that this reflects the stands at the Scottish Village many of which represented a traditional image of Scotland (for example kilts, shortbread and the Loch Ness Monster).

5.9 The key associations relate to tourist images, with words associated with doing business and studying in Scotland were unlikely to be selected by respondents. Again, this is likely to be influenced by interviews being conducted at the Scottish Village which aimed to attract respondents to Scotland.

5.10 It is encouraging to note the very low percentage choosing the negative words 'boring', 'unfriendly' and 'unwelcoming'.

Table 5.1: Words associated with Scotland
Base = all respondents

5.12 Participants were asked what image the events they were attending had given them of Scotland. The Scottish Village visit had the biggest impact in terms of image, although all the participants at the Scotland Run were very positive about Scotland.

"It's made it look fun and interesting. It's about the highlands, golf, bagpipes, mountains and the people."
Scottish Village participant

"This is what I expected of Scotland: the Loch Ness Monster, the food, the fashions - and the bagpipes of course!"
Scottish Village participant

5.13 Comments on the Village showed that it was seen as showing a traditional image of Scotland, with people aware of stalls on the Loch Ness Monster, kilts, whisky and the competition to win a stay in a Scottish castle. These images were seen entirely positively by participants as they were the key reasons they were interested in Scotland.

"This sends out quite a traditional image of Scotland, but it makes it more likely that people will want to visit."
Scottish Village participant

"Visiting here has really made me want to go to Scotland. The people are really nice, genuine and helpful and I like the tartan and the Loch Ness Monster."
Scottish Village participant

5.14 There were some criticisms of the Scottish Village for offering a very traditional and rather limited view of Scotland. Several participants felt that the use of the word 'village' was misleading as it suggested a wider range of activities and stalls than were actually present.

"I visited the Village but I was disappointed: it didn't show the Scotland I know. The fashion show was good, but there were too many people just handing out leaflets."
Scotland Run participant

Perceptions of Scotland

5.15 Perceptions of Scotland were explored by asking respondents the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with a series of statements about Scotland. These statements were based on statements used in international surveys run by the Scottish Executive. The results are shown in the table below: it should be noted that responses do not add up to 100% due to the 'don't know' responses which are not included in the table.

5.16 The statements that respondents were most likely to agree with related to Scotland's history, scenery and potential as a holiday destination. The responses to the statements confirmed that the main image of Scotland is as a place for a vacation.

5.17 There were also very high levels of agreement that Scotland has internationally acclaimed universities and is a good place to study. Respondents aged over 45 years old were more likely than those in younger age groups to perceive Scotland as having universities which are internationally acclaimed for research and science and as a good place to study.

5.18 Although respondents were likely to agree that Scotland is a modern and vibrant place, only 29% agreed strongly with this statement. This suggests that the Modern Scotland theme had only partially been conveyed at the Scottish Village and the Scotland Run.

5.19 The statements that respondents were least likely to agree with related to Scotland as a good place to do business and work, confirming that these messages had not been communicated at the events.

Table 5.2: Attitudes towards Scotland
Base = all respondents

Satisfaction with Event

5.20 There were very high levels of visitor satisfaction with the event they were attending: 89% of respondents were very or somewhat satisfied. Americans and people aged over 45 years old were more likely to be satisfied than Scottish Americans/Scots and younger age groups.

5.21 The main reason for being dissatisfied with events was that there was not enough interesting information and the event was not of a high quality/not the quality expected of Scotland.

Table 5.3: Satisfaction with event
Base = all respondents

5.22 The qualitative research confirmed the very high levels of satisfaction with the Run and the Scottish Village. Participants at both were generally highly satisfied with their visit.

"The Run is just so professional; it keeps getting better each year."
Scotland Run participant

"We've only just arrived, but everybody is friendly and willing to help."
Scottish Village participant

5.23 The main suggestions for developing the Scottish Village was to increase the access to Scottish goods through food tastings and more stalls. A small number of participants had expected the event to be a recreation of a Scottish village, and were disappointed by the small number of stalls and limited range of Scottish goods on display.

"I expected this would be a replica of a Scottish village, but I'm a bit disappointed by the small number of stalls."
Scottish Village participant

5.24 The positive levels of satisfaction were confirmed by the high proportion of respondents who said they were likely to return to Tartan Week in 2008. 77% of respondents said that they would return, including 89% of those living in New York.

Table 5.4: Likelihood of returning to Tartan Week events in 2008
Base = all respondents

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