SCOTLAND- THE PERFECT STAGE
By Richard Knight, Director of Marketing- The Americas at VisitScotland Business Events
The importance of face-to-face meetings and conferences remains crucial to businesses worldwide and Scotland continues to be an exceptionally appealing destination for hosting live events. We are confident in building this reputation in 2017 due to our award-winning facilities, venues, and suppliers across the country – which will be bolstered by millions of pounds of investment from partners over the next few years.
Wherever you’ re starting from, it’ s never been easier to meet in Scotland. There are excellent scheduled flights from the rest of the UK, and direct services from North America and
Europe to Scotland’ s main airports. Growth in airline connectivity to Scotland from all parts of the world – from the Arabian Gulf to North America – is transforming access for business events, with new direct routes from WestJet, Delta, Qatar, Etihad, Air Canada Rouge, and Air France airlines, and we expect growth in 2017 and beyond. With passenger numbers soaring, Scotland’ s airports are also expanding thanks to the confidence delivered through increased visitor numbers and growing airline connections. Over the last decade, the number of passengers travelling through Edinburgh Airport has increased by 20 %, and passenger numbers are predicted to rise by a further 18 %,
17