New programme to help tourism businesses up their digital game

Tourism businesses across Scotland will be offered support to boost their online profile as part of a new programme.

The Digital Tourism Scotland initiative, which will go live this autumn, will seek to improve specific digital skills within the sector in order to capitalise on new business opportunities.

Firms will be shown how to promote their business more effectively to international visitors as well as how to engage in social media activity on the likes of Facebook and Twitter to try and increase numbers.

The £1.2m programme, which is set to run until June 2018, will involve advice surgeries, workshops, awareness-raising events, online guides and resources as well as conferences. 

Lawrence Durden, key sector manager for tourism at Skills Development Scotland, said: “Digital marketing and customer interaction is now a crucial part of any tourism enterprise, from micro-businesses to the sector’s biggest firms, with digital skills also having the potential to boost efficiency and innovation.

“Digital Tourism Scotland has the potential to help many firms improve their digital know-how, creating the conditions to boost growth and productivity in a highly competitive and global marketplace."