Kiwi numbers to Scotland are making a return, and the destination’s tourism organisation is in New Zealand this week with the mission of connecting with the local travel trade as it looks to get more Kiwis embracing their Scottish connections.
Visit Scotland director of marketing Jill Walker says Kiwis are exactly the type of traveller Scotland is looking for.
“Australasia is a really important market for us, including New Zealand, because there’s really traditional connections there, there’s that natural affinity,” she says. “We know we’ve got the right experiences and the right product for the audiences that live here.”
While Kiwis only account for 7% of all international arrivals into Scotland, Walker says we’re sustainable travellers who stay longer, spend more and explore the regions.
“It’s the right type of tourist for us,” she says. “We want people to experience not just the honeypots within Scotland, we want them to experience the wider hidden gems as well, so they’re good for that point of view.”
Walker says ancestry, filming locations, such as those featured in Outlander, its castles, and events such as the Scottish Open, as well as its ‘authenticity’ are drawcards for Kiwis. “More than anything, what Scotland has is a real emotional connection with visitors.”
. . . Agents
The Visit Scotland manager says Kiwi agents are fundamental to promoting the destination.
Walker has spent the past three days meeting with agents around the Edinburgh Tattoo events in Auckland this week. “That’s a big part of what we wanted to do, to come in and actually meet the travel trade themselves, speak to them directly, build those relationships.”
. . . Coos & More
As for what agents need to know about selling Scotland, it’s the cows, or coos, Walker jokes. “Probably the best experience I think for this part of the world is our Highland cattle. …they’re the most docile big hairy beasts you’ve ever seen, they’re just adorable.”
But to upskill on the nation, Walker urges agents to check Visit Scotland’s trade site HERE. Agents are also encouraged to reach out to the team directly, she adds.
