Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-10384 on 8 November 2012. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government has allocated a core budget of £5.5m to VisitScotland to deliver Homecoming Scotland 2014. £3m of funding will support the signature and funded events programme, £1.75m for the related marketing and communications activity and £0.75m will be used for operational costs. This amount will be provided over the following financial years:

Spending on marketing and events will be evaluated using the standard models employed extensively by the national and international tourism industries.

The Scottish Government has allocated a core budget of £5.5m to VisitScotland to deliver Homecoming Scotland 2014. VisitScotland has allocated £1.75m of these funds for UK and international marketing and communications activity which will begin early in 2013. Decisions on how these funds are spent across all markets, including the rest of the United Kingdom, are operational matters for VisitScotland and I have asked the Chief Executive of VisitScotland to provide you with more information on this aspect of your question.

In addition to marking the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn in 2014, Scotland will commemorate the centenary of World War One during 2014-18. The Scottish Government will recognise our nation's significant contribution to the war and the impact it had on all our communities. The Scottish Government is working with a range of military and veterans' organisations, cultural bodies, education groups and the UK Government on proposals to commemorate the centenary of this conflict and to ensure Scotland plays its full part in the World War One commemorations being planned across the UK.

VisitScotland will use the most up to date information available on domestic and international visitors to focus its marketing and communication activity for Homecoming Scotland 2014. The allocation of funding to individual campaigns is an operational matter for VisitScotland and I have asked the Chief Executive of VisitScotland to provide you with more background on this aspect of your question.

The Scottish Government and the Homecoming Scotland team at VisitScotland are working in close partnership with the National Trust for Scotland as it develops its plans for the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn in 2014. The anniversary will be a key event in the Homecoming Scotland programme and a centrepiece of the Stirling 2014 celebrations for the Year. The event will include (i) a battle re-enactment, the largest ever hosted at the memorial battlefield; (ii) a tented clan village; (iii) weaponry and falconry displays; and an authentic campsite.

The Scottish Government has allocated a core budget of £5.5m to VisitScotland to deliver Homecoming Scotland 2014. £1.75m of these funds will support UK and international marketing and communications activity which will begin early in 2013. Most activity will focus on the UK and our core international markets including the USA, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Australia and New Zealand as evidence suggests that these countries offer good prospects to maintain and grow Scotland’s share of their outbound holiday taking. However, travel trade and PR activity will additionally see the Homecoming message communicated much more widely across the globe. Decisions on how overall marketing and communication funding is spent across all markets and countries are operational matters for VisitScotland and I have asked the Chief Executive of VisitScotland to provide you with more information on this aspect of your question.

In addition to the UK, VisitScotland’s core markets include the USA, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Australia and New Zealand. These countries offer good prospects to maintain and grow Scotland’s share of their outbound holiday taking. VisitScotland also targets a number of emerging markets, which currently provide a small share of our visitors, but show considerable potential for growth. These are China, India, Russia, the Middle East and Brazil. These core and emerging markets will also be a general focus for the Homecoming Scotland 2014 marketing activity, led by VisitScotland. Details of the demographics and segmentation which under-pin each marketing drive are operational matters for VisitScotland and I have asked the Chief Executive of VisitScotland to provide you with more information on this aspect of your question.

The Scottish Government has allocated a core budget of £5.5m to VisitScotland to deliver Homecoming Scotland 2014. £3m of funding will support the signature and funded events programme for Homecoming Scotland 2014, which recently closed to applications on 30 September. £1.75m will provide the related marketing and communications activity which will begin early in 2013. In addition, £0.75m will be used for operational costs.