From Bond to Potter, tour operators form the United Staters will be treated to special film and fiction tour of Scotland as part of the country’s biggest travel trade show – VisitScotland expo 2015.
On the tour, the 10 delegates will visit Glencoe which stole the show in James Bond’s Skyfall, Glen Nevis which featured in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and the city of Glasgow which served as the backdrop for zombie apocalypse World War Z, The Angels’ Share and Cloud Atlas.
The three day tour will also stop off at Dunnottar Castle which inspired the makers of Disney Pixar’s Brave, Kirriemuir, the birthplace of Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie and Loch Ness, which starred in the hit TV series, Outlander.
In order to capitalise on the popularity of Outlander in Germany, a separate German-guided fam trip is set to take in a number of locations which featured in the TV series and books, these include: Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, Beauly Priory and Culross.
VisitScotland expo takes place on 22-23 April 2015 in Aberdeen. To make the most of the hundreds of national and international buyers in attendance, VisitScotland has organised a series of familiarisation (fam) trips in order to inspire tour operators from around the world to create new or expand existing Scottish holiday packages.
With research showing that 40 per cent of visitors to the UK are inspired to come here after seeing it on film or on television, film tourism provides a real opportunity for Scotland.
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said:
“It’s absolutely essential that we fuel the imagination of our overseas tour operators each year, giving them lots of inspiration for how they can package up Scotland for their customers. From connections with big-budget Hollywood movies like Harry Potter and James Bond, to classic works of fiction like Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes, some of the world’s most recognised films and books have direct ties to Scotland, and we’re using this to our advantage.
“This year’s expo, in the wonderful city of Aberdeen, will welcome almost 580 international and UK based buyers, and as we continue to take Scotland to the world, our wide range of familiarisation trips will encourage even more people to visit our beautiful country.”
