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The Scottish Government, in its Scottish Connections Framework, committed to continue to engage with key heritage events around the world such as New York Tartan Week.

We work with key partners, led by VisitScotland, as part of the Brand Scotland strategic partnership, and through our international offices to position Scotland as an inclusive, year-round destination.

Key milestones in the cultural calendar, with St Andrew’s Day in November and Burns Night in January, along with Tartan Day in April in North America, provide the Scottish Government international network with invaluable opportunities to promote Scotland’s international interests, showcasing Scottish traditions, the best of Scottish produce, culture and values, and Scotland as a great destination for tourism. Teams in the Scottish Government international network also engage with local diaspora communities in country specific activities such as Highland Games and historical celebrations.

Those activities include, but are not limited to the following examples and evolve depending on local opportunities.

The Scottish Government in the USA has long been a key supporter of the diaspora led activity that constitutes Tartan Day and Tartan Week. Ministerial attendance throughout the week is leveraged towards promoting trade, investment, tourism, culture and higher education. VisitScotland attend Tartan Week and hold events to promote tourism with the general public, and specific events working with tourism and hospitality companies. With the support of the Scottish Government, Tartan Week has grown to be bigger than ever, with multiple Scottish business, culture and heritage organisations present last year, and planning to attend again this year. The team also host and participate in events around local Highland Games throughout the year, as well as St Andrew’s Day and Burns Nights across the USA, host events for alumni of Scottish Universities, and partner with diaspora organisations to deliver the strongest possible suite of events across the country, all aimed at promoting Scotland as a place to live, work, study, visit and do business.

The Scottish Government in Canada works in partnership with major Scottish/St. Andrew’s societies across Canada to promote Scottish tourism and place VisitScotland marketing collateral at their events including Burns Suppers, St. Andrew’s Day as well as at Highland Games in the summer. Video content on their Instagram channel is mainly drawn from VisitScotland and Scotland is Now campaigns. The team has also supported VisitScotland and their work with Canadian airports that host direct flights to Scotland.

The Scottish Government in China works in partnership with stakeholders including Scottish and Alumni Societies to promote Scotland and tourism, building connections with diaspora who help to propagate our messaging. Recent examples include Burns Nights, either hosted or supported by the team, hosting a St Andrew’s Day reception, and supporting the National Gallery of Scotland’s opening of a major exhibition of surrealist art from its collection at Museum of Art Pudong in Shanghai.

The team in China works closely with VisitScotland to maximise the opportunities that events and activities offer to promote tourism and Scotland more generally; and in building links with key stakeholders to support tourism. One example is the direct flight route between China and Scotland (Hainan Airlines announced in late December it would run its direct Edinburgh-Beijing route in 2024 with extra flights compared to the first run in 2023). The team uses its social media platforms to maximise impact and reach a wider audience across China, currently with 275k followers.

The Scottish Government in France works closely with Scottish diaspora organisations across France, regularly attending and participating in their events. This year they attended and supported several Burns Suppers organised by diaspora organisations, in Paris and beyond, such as Aubigny-sur-Nère: a town with a rich historical connection with Scotland.

The Scottish Government in Germany promote tourism to Scotland and showcase VisitScotland content through a number of channels, including regular online newsletters, social media posts, and events such as concerts and literature showcases, as well as Burns Night and St Andrews Day events. They regularly work with VisitScotland and Showcase Scotland to promote festival and cultural tourism especially. A 2023 St Andrew’s Day reception, in partnership with VisitScotland focused on promoting cultural and music tourism to Scotland.

The Scottish Government in Ireland are speaking to St Patrick’s Festival in Dublin regarding their ‘Abair - Bothy/Bothn’ which will bring together artists from Scotland and Ireland to explore shared traditions and folk customs

The hosting of annual Burns Night and St Andrews Day events, in which the promotion of Scottish arts, culture, food and landscapes to a Nordic audience are a key objective for the Nordics team in Copenhagen, alongside engagement with Scotland’s locally based diaspora communities.

Scotland House London are organising a week-long Scottish literature festival with Scottish diaspora organisations, with whom they have a group but also a range of events, such as a Ceilidh and annual gala with Princess Anne as the royal patron, throughout the year.

As we learn more about our diaspora and increase our Scottish Connections we will continue to explore new opportunities for engagement.