Five Years. Four Regions. One Connected Destination.

Scotland's Tay Country continues to demonstrate the power of collaboration, helping
tourism businesses across Perthshire, Fife, Angus and Dundee reach new markets and grow
through the travel trade.

TAY COUNTRY, SCOTLAND - From becoming the largest represented destination at
VisitScotland Connect 2026 to supporting the development of more than 130 travel trade
ready products and experiences over the past five years, Scotland's Tay Country continues to
demonstrate the power of collaboration in growing the visitor economy across Perthshire,
Fife, Angus and Dundee.

Established by Angus Council, Dundee City Council, Fife Council and Perth & Kinross Council,
Scotland's Tay Country is the region's dedicated travel trade and business development
programme. Through a dedicated Travel Trade Project Manager, specialist business support
and the dedicated travel trade website, www.taycountry.uk, the programme works alongside
tourism businesses to become travel trade ready, develop bookable products and
experiences, and connect with domestic and international buyers.

Part-funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), the programme has become a
catalyst for collaboration, helping businesses of every size unlock opportunities that would
often be difficult to achieve independently.

The importance of this work has never been greater. VisitBritain forecasts that overseas
visitors will spend £35.7 billion across the UK in 2026, with inbound tourism continuing to be
one of the UK's most valuable export industries. At the same time, both domestic and
international tour operators are increasingly looking to create longer more sustainable
itineraries that encourage visitors to spend more time and more money within destinations
rather than simply passing through. Scotland's Tay Country is perfectly positioned to meet that
demand.

Investing in Businesses to Drive Commercial Growth
Over the past year, Scotland's Tay Country has continued to work alongside businesses to
develop new travel trade-ready products and experiences, from unforgettable wildlife
encounters at Bowbridge Alpacas, coastal foraging with East Neuk Seaweed, luxury farm stays
at Newton Farm Holidays, and immersive rural experiences at Lunan Bay Farm, to heritage
and cultural experiences at Perth Museum, Dundee Heritage Trust and The Wemyss School of
Needlework. Visitors can also discover exceptional food and drink experiences at businesses
including The Old Manse of Blair, 71 Brewing and Campbell's Bakery, alongside unique stories
such as Stories of Stone, helping create richer itineraries that highlight the incredible diversity
of Scotland's Tay Country.

Over the past 12 months alone, the programme has supported the development of more than
30 new travel trade-ready products and experiences. Dedicated one-to-one mentoring,
masterclasses, advanced workshops, and pre VisitScotland Connect sales training continue to
build confidence within the industry, helping businesses understand how to package, price,
and promote their experiences for domestic and international markets.

Alongside this, Scotland's Tay Country has expanded the Regional Travel Trade Directory to
feature 250 travel trade-ready businesses, alongside multiple itineraries spanning a wide
variety of regional themes. Specialist Golf and Coach Operator Toolkits promote hundreds
more experiences directly to buyers. Ultimately, the programme's core role is to make it as
easy as possible for the travel trade to work with the region by providing them with vital,
practical tools and commercial inspiration. Encouragingly, businesses that have engaged with
the programme are now actively working with the travel trade and reporting increasing levels
of group bookings, contracted business, and year-round enquiries, helping to build stronger
future booking pipelines.

Capturing Changing Demands Away from Tourism Hotspots
One of the most encouraging trends emerging from regular dialogue with the international
industry is that operator demands are fundamentally changing. Buyers are increasingly telling
the team that their clients want to step off the beaten track and experience other parts of
Scotland away from the traditional, overcrowded tourism hotspots.

While key iconic hooks elsewhere in the country will always remain a draw for first-time
visitors, tour operators are designing programmes that actively prioritise regional depth. This
shift is clearly reflected in a significant increase in contracted bookings across the region, as
well as in the growing number of multi-day itineraries and travel programmes published by
international operators featuring the area. By offering a diverse, cohesive regional product,
Scotland's Tay Country is successfully encouraging operators to increase visitor dwell time,
ensuring travellers stay longer, explore deeper, and spend more money within local
communities rather than simply passing through.

Crucially, this shift supports a much more sustainable model of tourism. By aggregating four
unique regions into a single, cohesive itinerary framework, operators can offer their clients an
immersive, multi-day experience that keeps them rooted in one place. This localised
geographical focus drastically reduces the environmental footprint of the holiday while vastly
maximising the quality of the visitor experience, allowing travellers to spend far less time on
the road and much more time enjoying the authentic heart of Scotland.

Scotland's Tay Country Takes Centre Stage at VisitScotland Connect
One of the year's biggest highlights came at VisitScotland Connect 2026, where Scotland's Tay
Country recorded its strongest ever presence. More than 53 businesses from across
Perthshire, Fife, Angus, and Dundee attended the event, making Scotland's Tay Country the
largest represented destination and accounting for almost 20% of all supplier businesses in
attendance.

The scale of representation created a real buzz throughout the event and highlighted the
strength, diversity, and quality of tourism businesses across the region. Buyers, tour operators,
and destination management companies (DMCs) experienced first-hand the incredible
diversity available within one connected destination.

Scotland's Tay Country truly offers a "mini-Scotland". Visitors can experience spectacular
coastlines, dramatic Highland scenery, world-famous golf, food and drink, heritage, wildlife,
outdoor adventure, wellness, and authentic local experiences without travelling hundreds of
miles across the country. The energy, collaboration, and enthusiasm throughout the event
made everyone involved immensely proud to represent Scotland's Tay Country and the
outstanding businesses that make the region so special.

Expanding Global Supply Chains and Networks
Throughout the year, the programme continued to strengthen relationships with buyers
across domestic and international markets, generating over 150 one-to-one appointments at
VisitScotland Connect, meeting more than 40 operators at the Britain & Ireland Marketplace
(BIM) in London, and engaging with 60 coach operators through Coach Tourism Association
(CTA) events. Presentations were also delivered to VisitScotland staff, UKInbound members,
tour operators, and DMCs to showcase the breadth of regional experiences available.
This systematic trade outreach has fundamentally expanded the region's industry reach:

• Database Expansion: The core travel trade database has grown from 320 industry
  contacts to more than 650—an increase of over 100%.
• Targeted Communications: The programme now communicates directly with more
  than 420 travel trade professional subscribers.
• International Digital Traffic: The dedicated trade website continues to attract growing
  international audiences, with 28% of unique user traffic coming from China, 26% from
  the UK, 13% from the USA, and 12.5% from Singapore.
  

Building a Destination for the Future
As Scotland's Tay Country prepares for exciting opportunities ahead, including The Open in
2027, the focus remains the same: to continue supporting businesses, strengthening
partnerships and showcasing Perthshire, Fife, Angus and Dundee as one connected
destination.

Looking to the year ahead, the programme will continue expanding its capacity-building
efforts, delivering new training frameworks, and creating direct pipelines to international
buyers. Crucially, Scotland’s Tay Country is actively encouraging more regional tourism
businesses to engage with the initiative. Whether an operator is completely new to the travel
trade or looking to expand their existing international contracts, the programme provides the
vital resources, expert mentoring, and trade platforms necessary to scale their business
globally.

The programme's success over the past five years has shown what can be achieved through
collaboration. More businesses are engaging with the travel trade, more operators are
building itineraries across the region, and more visitors are discovering that Scotland's Tay
Country offers everything they are looking for in one remarkable destination.

While the figures tell an impressive story, the real success lies in the businesses that have
grown, the partnerships that have flourished and the visitors who are choosing to stay longer,
explore further and experience more of Scotland's Tay Country.

Jemma Reid, Travel Trade Project Manager for Scotland’s Tay Country, said:
"Over the past five years, we've seen first-hand what can be achieved when businesses, local
authorities and industry partners work together with a shared vision. Scotland's Tay Country
has become much more than a destination marketing initiative; it is a dedicated business
support programme that is helping tourism businesses develop confidence, create bookable
experiences and access new domestic and international markets.

"The real success lies not only in the numbers, but in the businesses now actively working with
the travel trade, securing new contracts and welcoming visitors they may never have reached
before. We're incredibly proud of what has been achieved and excited about the opportunities
ahead as we continue to showcase Perthshire, Fife, Angus and Dundee to the world."

Louise Nicholl, Owner at Newton Farm Holidays in Angus said:
“The support from Scotland's Tay Country has been instrumental in helping us grow our
international business. Through expert masterclasses, tailored mentoring and introductions to
travel trade buyers, we've gained the confidence and knowledge to position our experiences
for the international market. That investment has already delivered tangible results, including
multi-year contracts with international tour operators, helping us attract high-value visitors
and build a stronger, more sustainable business”

Sarah Muir, Product Manager UK at Abbey - The Destination Experts, one of the UK's leading
inbound Destination Management Companies, said: “Our clients are increasingly demanding
authentic, immersive experiences that allow them to slow down and discover Scotland away
from the traditional, crowded tourist tracks. Scotland's Tay Country makes it incredibly easy
for us to deliver exactly that. Through comprehensive themed itineraries, practical toolkits and
a directory of travel trade-ready businesses, we can confidently create seamless, multi-day
programmes across the region. The incredible diversity of Perthshire, Fife, Angus and Dundee
means our guests can experience the very best of Scotland in one beautifully connected
destination.

"The familiarisation trips have been a real game changer. They have shone a spotlight on the
outstanding experiences available across the region and given our team the opportunity to
become fully immersed in the destination, significantly strengthening our product knowledge.
That first-hand experience gives us the confidence to sell the region with authenticity and
create even more memorable experiences for our clients.”

Industry Contact:
Jemma Reid
Travel Trade Project Manager & Sales Representative
E: traveltrade@taycountry.uk
T: 07980 283407
B2B Portal: www.taycountry.uk

Welcome to Fife opportunitites for businesses to get involved. Click HERE