History in the Making

From World Heritage Sites to ancient monuments, museums to historic battlefields, cultural traditions to our myths, stories, artefacts and legends, Scotland’s 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeologywill celebrate both our tangible and intangible heritage – our buildings, visitor attractions, archaeological sites as well as our diverse traditions and cultures.

Scotland’s Themed Years celebrate the very best of Scotland including its landscapes, people and personality. During each year, both locals and visitors to Scotland can enjoy a programme of events taking place throughout the year in celebration of the themes, as well as lots of opportunities to discover sides of Scotland they might never knew existed. They also deliver impact for Scotland too – encouraging the tourism industry and beyond to collaborate, attract new customers and generate benefits for the economy.

We already know that history and heritage are key motivators for visits to Scotland – it’s what defines the country for many visitors. For example, 32% of visitors cited ‘history and culture’ as a key motivator for their trip, second only to ‘The Scenery and Landscape’ (49%) Visitor Survey 2015.  For some particular markets, the attraction itself if particularly strong – 76% of Europeans visited castles / stately homes and 49% of long haul visitors are motivated to come and learn more about Scotland’s history / culture.

The overarching aim of the 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology is to spotlight, celebrate and promote Scotland’s rich and vibrant product and place, linked with the themes, but it’s also about engagement and participation.

Are you 2017 ready? 

5 top tips for getting involved with the year:

From the Scottish Borders to Orkney, and from Fife to the Isle of Skye, we want locals and visitors to relive Scotland’s fascinating past through a range of exciting events, attractions and activities during 2017

1. To help organisations, communities and businesses think about how they can get involved, we’ve recently launched our VisitScotland Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology toolkit. Packed with promotional wording, free to use imagery and the option the download the 2017 logo to use across channels – the toolkit is an ideal one-stop-shop to help businesses promote the year ahead – www.visitscotland.org/HHA2017.aspx
2. Why not help us spread the word across your digital channels? You can join the conversation using the dedicated hashtag #HHA2017
3. Do you have a public-facing event planned for 2017 that could benefit from being part of the 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology in-kind partner programme?  For more information visit www.eventscotland.org/funding/partner-programmes
4. Ancestral tourism is an important market in Scotland, with an estimated 50 million people worldwide claiming Scottish ancestry including the key long-haul markets of North America, Australia and New Zealand. The VisitScotland Ancestral Welcome Scheme is relevant for a wide range of businesses from visitor attractions to accommodation providers. The scheme is also open to professionals in the industry who provide family history or genealogy services. To find out more visit http://www.visitscotland.org/business_support/quality_assurance/welcome_schemes.asp
5. Use VisitScotland’s marketing resources – why not add a link from your website or other online marketing material to our dedicated section on the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology – www.visitscotland.com/HHA2017

2017 provides a great opportunity to invite people to come and explore our attractions, our people, our traditions and our distinct cultures but we can’t do it alone –  we’d love to hear how BEFS members are getting involved and helping make history with us!

Chelsea Charles

Communications Manager: Scotland’s Themed Years

VisitScotland Events Directorate

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