Orkney Tourism Group is set to fly the flag for the islands at a major international travel trade event, which takes place in Glasgow this week.
The VisitScotland Expo 2017 gives Scottish tourism businesses the chance to promote their products and services to potential buyers from around the globe.
Regarded as Scotland’s flagship business-to-business travel trade event, the Expo attracts representatives from all sectors of the international tourism industry, including coach tour operators, group travel organisers, tourism product wholesalers, specialist and independent tour operators and travel media.
A team from Orkney Tourism Group, which represents over 400 tourism businesses in the islands, will attend the two-day event, being held at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) on Wednesday and Thursday (26 and 27 April).
Over 80 appointments have already been booked with the Orkney team by buyers and tourism operators interested in exploring new business opportunities within the islands, or updating their current offering for the county.
Joining OTG on the newly designed Orkney stand at the Expo will be local businesses the Albert Hotel, Ferry Inn and The Shore. Orkney Craft Association is also planning to launch its new Orkney Craft Trail brochure at the event.
In addition, the Orkney contingent will form part of a larger Northern Isles village area that includes NorthLink Ferries, Pentland Ferries and Sharing Shetland. And Orkney Food and Drink will be in attendance, offering local produce samples to Expo delegates.
Cameron Taylor, executive director of Orkney Tourism Group, said: “The VisitScotland Expo is a hugely important event for Orkney’s tourism industry, connecting the islands directly to a global travel trade audience and key international travel media.
“Orkney traditionally attracts an above average level of interest at the Expo and this year looks as ifit will break previous records in terms of the number of appointments our team has lined up. That’s great news, but we’ll still be working very hard to tell the story about what makes Orkney unique as a destination. Part of that process will be sharing sample itineraries with tourism operators and highlighting just how easy it is to include Orkney into a Scottish tour, or tailor make a stand-alone package for the islands.”
Mr Taylor added: “We’ll be reporting back to OTG’s membership on our experiences and activity at the Expo and passing on what we hear in terms of the travel trade’s expectations. Only by continually enhancing what we offer as a destination, while also protecting and sharing everything that currently defines the unique Orkney experience, can we ensure we’ll maintain our strong position in what is an incredibly competitive marketplace.”