World shown what Moray Speyside has to offer in Scotland Reconnect 2020 tourism showcase

A VIRTUAL travel trade event which linked up Moray tourism organisations with global tour operators and agents has been hailed a success.

The first Scotland Reconnect 2020 event, run by VisitScotland, took place at the end of November and saw 264 buyers from 23 countries connecting online with 240 Scottish suppliers for business meetings aimed at booking and creating tour packages for future visitors.

Participants included Visit Moray Speyside, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival and Rafford's Blervie House.

The event gave tour operators and travel agents the opportunity to rebook visits and tweak programmes that had had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Buyers from the US, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Australia and Brazil attended, as well as London-based inbound operators representing the Japanese and Chinese markets.

Facilitating more than 5,000 business meetings, the event included live webinars, round-table discussions and breakout sessions, an online presentation hub, virtual experiences demonstrating what Scotland can offer buyers’ clients, and sessions on global trends and Covid-time consumer behaviour.

Responsible travel, a theme of growing importance, was also on the agenda, as was the promotion of initiatives including Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 2020.

Laurie Piper, CEO of Visit Moray Speyside, said: "Scotland Reconnect 2020 was a great way to reacquaint our travel partners with the tourism offering here in Moray Speyside.

"What was really clear was the strong demand among the travel buyers and operators. They are extremely keen to bring business to our region in 2021 and beyond.

"We met several golf tour companies who will now be incorporating Moray Speyside into their tours, travel agents who want to add new accommodation options to their product offer and a host of other companies – all of whom were bowled over by what Moray Speyside can offer them."

Sheena Thompson, owner of Blervie House, said: "Thank you to VisitScotland for providing this unique opportunity to not only reconnect with existing colleagues within the travel trade, but also to make new connections and have the opportunity to promote both Scotland and the local area.

"The amount of interest and positivity in these meetings was truly encouraging."

James Campbell, chairman of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, added: "We were delighted with the number of contacts gained and with the appetite of UK and international travel agents to restart tours to Speyside and other parts of Scotland as soon as the pandemic will allow."

Jo Robinson, VisitScotland regional director, said: "I was encouraged to hear that despite this terrible year, Moray Speyside was well represented by these three fantastic regional ambassadors, all keen to continue their great relationships with buyers in the future.

"This event has started us on the road to recovery as we look forward to the time when we can welcome international visitors back to our shores."

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