VisitScotland Connect 2025

With international tourism worth over £3.5 billion to the Scottish economy, tourism businesses in the South of Scotland are being encouraged to register for a major event aimed at sustainably growing Scotland’s share of global travel.

VisitScotland Connect is the national tourism organisation’s flagship travel trade event, connecting Scottish tourism businesses with tour operators and travel advisors across the world.

More than half of international visitors plan and book their travel through the travel trade. Overseas visitors are a crucial market for Scotland as they often stay longer and spend more, helping to support jobs and communities in every region across the country.

Following the successes of new format events in 2023 and 2024, VisitScotland Connect returns to P&J Live in Aberdeen, on 9th and 10th April, 2025, and eligible, trade-ready businesses are being invited now to register their attendance.

These are businesses across all tourism sectors who have a product that can be booked through an intermediary (travel agent or tour operator etc), for example a hotel room, a self-catering cottage, a private tour, food and drink, an attraction, transport, an activity or experience, or a combination of these.

The event provides Scottish tourism businesses with an opportunity to showcase their products and services under one roof, make connections with the domestic and international travel trade and grow their business potential. It enables business contracting for 2026, 2027 and beyond.

This year’s event was attended by 222 trade-ready Scottish tourism businesses, including Schloss Roxburghe, South of Scotland Destination Alliance and Great Tapestry of Scotland, and they connected with 257 tour operators and travel advisors representing 23 countries.

Gordon Smith, VisitScotland Destination Development Director for the South of Scotland, said: “I would encourage any trade-ready tourism businesses in South of Scotland to register for the event, which offers a targeted opportunity to connect them with the travel trade, helping to generate sales and new business opportunities.

“With such large numbers of visitors using tour operators and travel agents to plan and book their travel, due to the extra reassurance and guidance they offer, we recognise also that these intermediaries can play a very important part in shaping their experiences in the region to be more sustainable and more positive for the communities they visit.”