FIFE enjoyed a very successful VisitScotland Expo, meeting and building contacts with tourism buyers and industry professionals from around the world.
Organised by VisitScotland, Expo is Scotland’s only flagship business to business event for the travel trade that is entirely Scottish.
A total of 230 businesses from all over the country exhibited, and 625 international buyers attended the event held in Aberdeen’s Conference and Exhibition Centre last week.
The two-day exhibition put Fife firmly in the global travel spotlight and a range of Fife’s tourist businesses made up the Welcome to Fife stand which was hosted by the Promoting Fife team.
Best of Scotland Holidays, Knockhill Racing Circuit, Keavil House Hotel, Fife Coast & Countryside Trust, Blown Away Experiences, Morton Golf, Scotland Golf Tours, and St Andrews Golf Company highlighted the scope of Fife’s tourist products and services.
Some of Fife’ chefs, including Christopher Trotter, writer and food consultant, were in the kitchen providing a flavour of Fife as they cooked up a selection of tasty treats.
Brian McLeish of Fairmont Hotel, St Andrews, popped a lobster in the pot for VisitScotland’s chair, Mike Cantlay, while Jane Stewart from St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company, delighted visitors to the stand with her asparagus and Anster cheese risotto.
Interested buyers and industry insiders to the Fife stand included tour operators from Latvia, Italy, Russia, Germany, the USA and India.
Jamie and Guy of Blown Away Experiences, based in St Andrews, blew visitors away with their colourful and authentic beach hut and land yacht with its impressive large sail. Bill and Ewan from St Andrews Golf Company showcased the history and craftsmanship of their hickory golf clubs.
And Maureen and Stuart from Knockhill Racing Circuit proved that their Formula First single-seater racing car was indeed the star.
Keith Winter, Fife Council’s head of Development Services, attended the Expo and said: “Fife offers an outstanding holiday destination and an event on the scale of VisitScotland Expo offers Fife an excellent opportunity to raise its profile and increase tourism business.
“The Fife stand and its partners took full advantage of the large numbers of international buyers, working together as a team and highlighting all that Fife has to offer.
“We look forward to building on the success of this event and to promoting Fife at next year’s VisitScotland Expo in Edinburgh.”
Richard Pinn, Fife’s regional director for VisitScotland, said: “VisitScotland Expo 2011 proved a fantastic showcase for the whole of Scotland and the Welcome to Fife exhibitors proved popular with visitors from all over the world, truly helping to put this region on the map.
“The value of this showpiece event is clear: the average potential value of business as a result of attending Expo as an exhibitor is £28,000, with some businesses quoting values as high as £100,000.”
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Contact: Frances Chisholm
Phone: 08451 555 555 Ext 442689
Email: frances.chisholm@fife.gov.uk
Website: http://www.welcometofife.com
