Scotland: A World Class Product

June 7, 2008 by Fractional Property Ownership, Timeshare & Luxury Travel Magazine · 1 Comment

Scotland is a modern and ambitious country with a dynamic economy and a rich heritage. It is setting the pace in the UK with regard to hotel and resort development.

It has also been at the forefront of timeshare development in Europe with over 20 resorts offering highquality Vacation Ownership. It boasts leading resorts which have set the standard for the industry (including the time ownership development at Hilton Craigendarroch, Glenmor at Gleneagles and the De Vere Cameron House Carrick at Loch Lomond). Scotland’s top quality Hotel Resorts include world renowned brands such as Westin, Turnberry, Fairmont St Andrews and the Old Course Golf Resort and Spa.

Scotland - Timeshare Resorts In Demand Scotland has attracted owners from throughout the UK and overseas by offering settings in areas of outstanding natural beauty and by maintaining the country’s tradition of warm hospitality. These developments have set the standard for the industry by combining luxury accommodation with exceptional amenities, including new golf courses and other recreational facilities, in stunning locations. Recent economic impact research suggests that Scotland’s resorts do not suffer from peaks and troughs in resort occupancy rates and has demonstrated that it is a year round destination with up to 90% occupancy rates in existing vacation resorts.
Committed to ambitious targets for tourism growth, the country is investing in its infrastructure and services to ensure that Scotland continues to be a location where business can flourish with the potential for success and growth based around a number of key factors -

Scotland’s economy has enjoyed a sustained period of growth, and its flourishing services sector is attracting international companies for whom it provides a competitive and successful European base. “Scotland has real strength in the most vital factor for modern economies – the human capital offered by our greatest asset, Scotland’s people”. (The Rt. Hon Alex Salmond MSP MP, The First Minister of Scotland)

Scotland is home to two of Europe’s largest banking organisations – RBS Group and HBOS – and the flourishing financial services sector based in Edinburgh and Glasgow provides access to development capital, provided by organisations with extensive worldwide experience of the hospitality industry.

With its own legal system, Scotland provides the framework to facilitate the development and sale of vacation ownership products, and allows for the sale of intervals in perpetuity. The legal structure facilitates alternative shared ownership products, and accommodates all variants of fractional ownership options. Developers and operators have access, close at hand, to a comprehensive range of professional services, including legal advisors and trustee services.

Scotland’s main population centres enjoy easy access to countryside with strong scenic appeal. Resort development sites take advantage of locations with strong guest appeal, whilst easy access to principal markets means that it is possible to target diverse markets, spanning both corporate and leisure bases. Investment in the tourism infrastructure has provided a strong network of demand generators throughout Scotland for the hospitality industry, with conference and event venues of international significance (including The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow) and state-of-the-art visitor attractions, which strengthen the appeal of traditional destinations such as Edinburgh Castle.

The country’s status is going to be boosted as the country hosts prestigious sporting events including The Commonwealth Games and The Ryder Cup in 2014

Scotland’s principal airports are served by a strong scheduled flight network, with routes from principal European centres operated by full-service airlines and lowcost carriers. Inbound tourism is increasing in significance as Scotland becomes recognised as a short break destination from key European centres, and as European timeshare owners enjoy easy access for exchange holidays. Direct airline services also now operate to Scotland from North America and The Middle East.

Scotland is also easily accessible by air, road and rail from the rest of Great Britain, with a combined population (England and Wales) of over 52 million. The expansion of air services has taken place alongside investment in high-speed rail services, with journey times from (e.g.) London to Edinburgh of under 5 hours.

UK Hotel Performance:
July to September 2007
Scotland saw the best hotel performance of the three countries in the United Kingdom with revPAR growth across the country of 8.9%. Aberdeen had the highest growth of any UK city, with revPAR increasing 18.6%. Glasgow also achieved revPAR growth of 13.1%. (HotelBenchmark Survey, Deloitte, November 2007). Scotland delivers the highest Average Room Rate and RevPar figures in the UK outside London- year after year. Scotland’s average occupancy rates, average room rates and RevPar show the largest uplift across the UK much of this is due to the increase of International visits.

Glasgow was rated first in the UK Cities category and Edinburgh was voted a close second (Source: Conde Nast Traveller 2006 Readers’ Travel Awards).

While new tourism projects are planned or in progress, demand is currently outstripping supply and further developments are required. There are huge Investment opportunities for city hotels, resorts, spas and Marinas and there are a number of great investment locations.

Edinburgh
World-renowned festivals, events and conferences are contributing to the demand for rooms outstripping supply in Edinburgh. Outside London, Scotland’s capital is the UK’s favourite domestic holiday destination and the most popular city in the UK in which to hold an international conference. Public and private sector organisations are working in partnership through organisations such as the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group to invest billions of pounds in further enhancing the city’s tourism offering. There are also new investment opportunities being created through regeneration projects in Edinburgh City Centre, Leith Granton Waterfronts, and West of Edinburgh. Edinburgh has experienced an increase in overseas visitors of 14 per cent, almost double the rate of the UK as a whole.

Glasgow
Cosmopolitan and vibrant, Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city. Already a leading conference, short break destination, Glasgow’s tourism credentials will be further boosted when it plays host to the Commonwealth Games in 2014. Major regeneration projects such as the International Financial Services District and £5.6bn Clyde Waterfront projects reflect a booming business sector – one reason why Glasgow hotels are currently enjoying the highest yield growth of any UK city.

Aberdeen
Situated in north-east Scotland, Aberdeen is the “Energy Capital of Europe” and the modern gateway to Scotland’s castle and whisky country. Occupancy and room rates remain among the highest in the UK with the city regularly hosting meetings and conferences of up to 2,000 delegates.

Inverness
Inverness is the 15th most popular UK city for overseas visitors. This Highland capital is the fastest growing city in the UK and an ideal base to explore some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Business tourism is booming and an increasing number of corporate headquarters are locating in Inverness, particularly in the area of life sciences.

Spas
Scotland is developing a fashionable reputation as a luxury spa destination. With first class facilities. Scottish spas combine the best of historic elegance and grandeur with the latest treatments and techniques. Close to 14 million spa trips are taken annually by UK residents (source BTA) Growth in the UK spa tourism sector is anticipated to remain strong over the next decade. One Spa in Edinburgh was named British Beauty & Spa Award’s Destination/Hotel Spa of the Year.

Marinas
Excellent facilities and the opportunity for sailors to test their abilities in varied conditions has made Scotland one of the top sailing destinations in the world – for experienced sailors and beginners. Over 1,000 new pontoon berths are either in planning or development at present, but further marina infrastructure is required and provision of berths may need to double in the next ten years to meet demand. Currently Scotland’s sailing sector has an estimated tourism spend of over £248 million. Sailing visitors are high spenders with an overall average daily spend
of £125.

Home Of Golf
Scotland is known internationally as the “Home of Golf” and plays regular host to the Open Championship. Six centuries of tradition mean no other destination can offer such a unique experience with world renowned championship courses including the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie, Royal Troon and Turnberry, as well as marvellous parkland courses such as Gleneagles and many hidden gems.

The Great Outdoors
Wild, unspoiled spaces and dramatic scenery are just some of the reasons why Scotland is famed the world over for its other outdoor activities – such as cycling, hill walking, skiing and extreme sports. Country activities include fishing, hunting, shooting and deer stalking on estates, many of which are hundreds of years old. Scotland also draws people interested in watching wildlife – with the chance to view rare species such as eagles and ospreys, and boat trips to see dolphins and whales, or even the Loch Ness Monster!

Tracing The Past
Nessie is only one of a number of famous Scots to draw visitors, with many people keen to follow in the footsteps of great historical figures such as Robert Burns, William Wallace
(Braveheart), Rob Roy, Mary Queen of Scots and Andrew Carnegie. Visitors also visit Scotland to trace their own family history. Around 50 million people claim to have direct Scottish ancestry with over 25 million North American residents (in the USA and Canada) that can trace family links back to Scotland. It is anticipated that the number of ancestral tourists to Scotland could increase from the current estimate of 200,000 to as many as 800,000 annual trips.

History And Heritage
Scotland’s heritage is brought back to life at many of its historical landmarks including ancient castles, battlefields and whisky trails. With traditions over 500 years old, whisky is a core part of this heritage.

Eco-friendly
Scotland is at the forefront of eco friendly tourism and is attracting a growing number of visitors who are environmentally aware, drawn by the country’s scenery and natural environment. Ongoing investment in renewable energy means that tourism businesses can develop and manage their operations on an environmentally sensitive basis, subscribing to the principles of environmental tourism.

Reputation
And Scotland seems to look after their visitors. Scotland’s worldwide reputation for excellent hospitality and authenticity delivers a truly great, memorable experience for the tourists of who visit. The Visitor Experience 2007 survey found that 97% of those interviewed were satisfied with their recent holiday in Scotland and three quarters were very likely to recommend Scotland as a holiday destination. The UK accounts for 86% of tourism trips to Scotland and the biggest overseas market is the US.

Target Market
Areas of projected growth include the markets for over-45s and domestic leisure as UK residents with higher levels of disposable income choose to enjoy more short breaks and holidays in Scotland. Also Business tourism is also a fast growing sector with Edinburgh and Glasgow both ranked among the top 30 cities in the world by number of conferences. It generates around £300m a year for the Edinburgh economy with delegates spending an average £364 per day (80% more than leisure travellers).

Scottish Development International
Wide-ranging support for business development is provided through the national economic development agency Scottish Enterprise which can offer via its international division Scottish Development International advice and guidance to assist developers and operators through the critical stages of site identification and selection, business planning, and consultation with the relevant agencies to ensure development success.

Scottish Development International (SDI) is the specialist inward investment arm of Scotland’s business development agency, Scottish Enterprise. Their dedicated tourism team is experienced in working closely with developers, investors and operators to help secure a successful investment and maximise the opportunities that Scotland provides. Scottish Development provide a global marketing and business development support resource which can help to identify the best areas for development and access sites and deals that may not be available on the open market. In addition they can source unique sites for specific developments as well as identify business partners, investors, developers and operators. They can help to liaise with local authorities and their partner government agencies to assist new developments. Scottish development have a network of worldwide offices across Europe, North America and Asia and provide business to business and business to consumer marketing support through their partner agency VisitScotland.

The Scottish Government with Scottish Enterprise, its business development agency, and VisitScotland, the country’s tourism marketing agency, are committed to a growth strategy that will increase revenues from tourism by another 50% over the next decade.

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One Response to “Scotland: A World Class Product”

Time share store | Disney Time Share on June 10th, 2008

[...] Scotland is a modern and ambitious country with a dynamic economy and a rich heritage. It is setting the pace in the UK with regard to hotel and resort development. It has also been at the forefront of timeshare development in… Disney Time Share News… [...]

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