A GERMAN language magazine about Scotland is launch in June, to cater for the estimated 250,000 German tourists who visit the country every year and being published by an Edinburgh-based former journalist for the German edition of the Financial Times.
Issue one of Schottland is scheduled for the beginning of June, with the plan being to produce, in the first instance, two issues per year (Winter/Spring and Summer/Autumn).
Already, distribution deals have been struck with airports, ferry services and rail stations on mainland Europe (including German-speaking parts of Switzerland) to allow visitors to purchase the magazine before they even arrive in Scotland, the content to include destination ideas, Scottish heritage and culture, and must-try food and drink.
It is estimated that German tourists are second only to their North American counterparts in terms of numbers visiting Scotland. And they collectively spend circa £138 million per year.
Publisher and editor, Nicola de Paoli, helped set up the German edition of the FT 13 years ago. She has lived in Scotland for six years, during which she has continued to write for the FT, both from Edinburgh and in Hamburg.
Advertising for issue one is being sourced by contract magazine publishers, CMYK, also based in Edinburgh.
The initial print run is 5,000 and the magazine is to be priced at just under £5.
