In our latest in our Women to Write Home About series, we caught up with Chief Executive of VisitArran & The Arran Trust, the powerhouse that is Sheila Gilmore. Sheila is known to many across the tourism industry, and in 2022 was recognised by WIT through our very first Regional Destination Award.
We’re absolutely delighted to announce the 2022 Top 100 Women In Tourism!! A campaign which we originally launched back in 2018, this year we received nearly 250 nominations – the highest level since we created the Top 100! Those working across Scottish tourism were encourage to nominate, and recognise, colleagues doing amazing things from our industry.
In the third in our #IWD2022 spotlight on our members, we’re delighted to introduce you to Vanessa Wegstein. Vanessa is the Marketing Manager at the South of Scotland Destination Alliance, and delivers a key role in promoting the destination to visitors from home and abroad. Read more
In the second in our #IWD2022 spotlight on our members, we’re delighted to introduce you to Iris Marhencke. Iris is the Guest Relations Manager at the 5-star Gleneagles Hotel, and is also a Blue Badge Guide – welcoming visitors from all over the world.
On Tuesday 8th March 2022 we celebrate the achievements of women from around the world on International Women’s Day. A moment to recognise the historical, political and cultural achievements of women – it’s also an opportunity to shine a light on those who are leading the way in our industry today. In recognition of #IWD2022 we caught up with a few of our members to find out what inspires them, how the pandemic has impacted their business, and who they look up to.
Women in Tourism are delighted to invite you to celebrate our Top 100 Women in Tourism, in person and online, on Monday 13 December. Read more
Women in Tourism look forward to the following tourism and hospitality events and activities – some dates for your diary…. Read more
Can you believe it’s almost summer? There is no doubt it’s been a (another) whirlwind of a year so far, and as industries begin to unlock, there’s lots of reflect on and to look forward to. We invite you to bring your favourite tipple and join Women in Tourism for a School’s Out Social on Wednesday 23 June, at 4.45pm: our last WIT Wednesday before the schools break up. Read more
Traveltech for Scotland, launched in August 2020, is supporting a growing community of traveltech SME’s which offer a host of technological innovations aimed at tourism and hospitality businesses; from contactless food and drink ordering to chatbots and many more. Find out more about the Prep Starts Now Campaign to help hospitality businesses reopen with confidence, and brand new innovations to assist chefs and suppliers. Read more
Join us for a Women in Tourism virtual event on Wednesday 5th May at 4.30pm. On the back of Scottish and British lockdown measures easing sufficiently to allow our tourism and hospitality venues to reopen at the end of April we have gathered some excellent speakers who are willing to share their experiences.
Challenges we all thought would be past in the summer of 2020 are still with this sector as we come out of another lengthy period of closure and attempt to plan for a profitable and engaging season with ever shifting guidance and best practice standards. Many venues which opened in 2020 managed with; an impressive reduction in expenses by postponing capital expenditure, adjusted to COVID measures in relatively temporary ways under the expectation they would be short lived, and often altered the visitor experience by removing normal elements that were not able to be offered safely.
A whole year later, will our potential guests and visitors still be enthusiastic about this reduced offer? Have the measures introduced been so successful that they are being made permanent? Is a new level of innovation and product development required now that we are retargeting our local areas again, given the lack of international travel?
Caroline Robertson from VisitScotland will share the official reopening strategy of Visit Scotland in the Highlands and highlight the tools developed by VisitScotland that may assist our businesses in reopening.
Lisa Robshaw, Head of Marketing and Sales at The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) will share information on the reopening of both Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park. In particular Lisa can share experience of being open in 2021, as the zoo was permitted to welcome guests from March, and the different challenges faced by a city central location and a regional site in the Cairngorms.
Moira Unwin¸ of The Sonas Collection, a group of three stylish boutique hotels on the Isle of Skye, will share the preparation and developments made by their sites to welcome visitor back in a COVID safe manner, while maintaining the outstanding quality of visitor experience they are known for, particularly looking at the difference between opening in 2020 versus the plan for this season.
WIT Board Member, Julie Grieve, will also share some more information about how WIT can assist our members individually or as a business through our Mentoring Programme. There will be time after the speakers for some questions and general discussion.
CLICK HERE to register your attendance. A zoom link will be sent to all registrants nearer the event. We look forward to seeing you on screen!