TOURISM chiefs have underlined the importance of the Scotch whisky industry to its recovery from the pandemic, as a new campaign was launched by the country’s biggest distiller.
Leading figures from VisitScotland and Edinburgh Airport outlined the key role that whisky will play in tempting tourists back to Scotland, following two years of disruption because of the pandemic.
It came as Diageo unveiled a new advertising campaign for Johnnie Walker Princes Street, the drinks company’s whisky tourism attraction in Edinburgh city centre that opened in September last year.
The campaign is spearheaded by the largest advertising installation ever seen at Edinburgh Airport, which is forecast to welcome more than six million passengers to the city over the remainder of this year. The airport had its first one million passenger month in May since 2019.
Neil Christison, regional director of VisitScotland, said: “After a difficult two years for tourism, Scotland is open, and we are excited to be welcoming back visitors once more.
“We know Scotland’s history, heritage and culture are key motivators to visit with Scotch whisky part of this appeal, attracting millions of visitors per year. Whisky tourism plays an important role in the visitor experience, particularly for our international visitors, with one in five visiting a whisky experience as part of their trip.
“We know there is pent-up demand to travel to Scotland and we look forward to seeing more visitors return to Edinburgh Airport and Johnnie Walker Princes Street over the coming months.”
Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: “We’re passionate about promoting Edinburgh as a destination and highlighting some of the wonderful things the city has to offer.
"Johnnie Walker Princes Street is a fantastic addition to Edinburgh’s vast offering, and as one of the capital’s newest attractions it’s something passengers – and local whisky lovers – will be keen to explore and maybe even sample a dram or two.”
“As an airport we’ve just marked our first one million passenger month since 2019, and we can see the appetite for travel returning at a fast pace as many people take a long-awaited holiday.”
Barbara Smith, managing director of Diageo’s Scotland brand homes, said: “We were delighted to learn from our colleagues at Edinburgh Airport that passenger numbers for May have reached one million, so now seems the perfect time to unveil our installation at Scotland’s most important international travel hub.
"It’s fantastic to see consumer confidence bouncing back so strongly, and we’re looking forward to a busy summer of international guests.”
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