VisitScotland

VisitScotland, Scotland's national tourism organisation

VisitScotland is Scotland's national tourism organisation. Its website serves as a platform for information and travel planning across the country, with sections dedicated to destinations, activities, accommodation and travel logistics. The organisation itself presents itself as "Scotland's National Tourist Organisation".

Destinations and places to visit

The portal organises places of interest into several categories. Among the cities included are Aberdeen, Dundee, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth and Stirling. It also features popular places such as Ben Nevis, Glencoe, Loch Lomond and Loch Ness, as well as towns including Aviemore, Dumfries, Fort William, Kirkwall, Lerwick, Oban, Peebles, Pitlochry and St Andrews.

Islands have their own section, with references to the Isle of Arran, Isle of Islay, Jura, Lewis & Harris, Mull, Orkney, the Outer Hebrides, Shetland and Skye. The tourism regions featured on the site are Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire, Argyll & The Isles, Ayrshire & Arran, Dumfries & Galloway, Dundee & Angus, Edinburgh & The Lothians, Fife, Glasgow & Clyde Valley, Loch Lomond, Trossachs, Stirling & Forth Valley, the Highlands, Perthshire and the Scottish Borders.

Things to do: attractions, nature and outdoor activities

The site groups its offerings into several blocks. Under attractions, it mentions a selection of twenty top attractions, as well as categories for ancestry, arts and culture, castles, free attractions, history and heritage, and TV and film locations.

Outdoor activities include cycling, golf, mountain biking, skiing and snowsports, walking and hiking, and watersports. The landscapes and nature section covers beaches, Ben Nevis, lochs, national parks, the Northern Lights, standing stones and wildlife watching. There are also sections on routes, itineraries, Scotland's UNESCO Trail, tours and walking routes and trails.

Food and drink and events

The food and drink offering is organised around beer and breweries, gin tours and tastings, and Scotch whisky, which the site describes as the country's best-known export and one that has been produced for centuries.

Under events, the portal features Edinburgh's summer festivals, the Highland Games, Scottish music festivals and the presence of the Tour de France 2027 in Scotland. It also dedicates sections to Halloween, autumn in Scotland, and events and festivals for the whole family.

Accommodation

The accommodation section is divided into hotels and lodgings, B&Bs and guesthouses, hostels, hotels, caravan and camping (with glamping and wild camping), self-catering accommodation (cabins, lodges and cottages) and unique places, including castles. Categories for luxury accommodation, pet-friendly, romantic and wedding venues are also included.

Travel planning

The travel and planning section covers how to get to Scotland from England and Wales, Europe, Ireland, North America and other continents, and how to get around the country by air, bus and coach, ferry, train and car. It includes driving routes, information on when to visit the country (spring and Easter, summer, autumn and winter, Christmas and New Year), practical information, eco-travel, FAQs, passes and offers, passports and visas, visitor levy and weather.

It also offers ideas and advice, outdoor safety, a travel blog and newsletter, as well as holiday types: accessible, beauty spots, budget-friendly, countryside breaks, family holidays, farm stays, off the beaten track holidays, weekend breaks and wellness retreats.

Interactive map and audiovisual content

The site provides an interactive map of Scotland to explore landscapes, cities, culture and historic places, and a video section with the tagline "Start Your Story in Scotland". It also features suggested itineraries, such as the luxury itinerary by Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir and the one by comedians Fatiha El-Ghorri and John Tothill for Channel 4's programme "Where to next?".

Corporate structure and other services

VisitScotland maintains a corporate section with information about its team, its board, its chair and its executive leadership, as well as jobs and careers and recruitment processes. It details its areas of work: business and experience development, market development, organisation development, and place and destination development. It publishes its corporate plan, destination climate action plan, global tourism marketing plan, Gaelic language plan and equality strategy, among other documents, as well as annual reports, sustainability reports and disclosures.

The organisation also manages associated sites and services such as Business Events, Business Support Hub, Travel Trade, Asset library, Corporate and Brand Scotland, and offers a newsletter, a contact form, a complaints and suggestions channel and a form for submitting events.