[G]retna Green was the first destination on the itinerary for the start of Scotland’s annual tourism showcase event, VisitScotland EXPO.
Before and after this two-day exhibition, which took place at SECC in Glasgow this week VisitScotland organised itineraries for tourism professionals who come from all over the world to learn more about Scotland.
This year two trips paid a visit to Gretna Green to discover the quality of hotels for their clients and experience one of Scotland’s top visitor attractions, Gretna Green Famous Blacksmiths Shop.
Lynda Denton, Head of Sales & Marketing at Gretna Green Ltd assisted VistScotland with the trips: “This year was our 19th year exhibiting at VisitScotland EXPO and one of the great benefits of taking part is the potential that you may be added to the itinerary for a familiarisation trip. These trips are crucial, giving tourism operators a first-hand experience of your destination.
“There’s no better way to educate and inspire for tourism professionals to pass that on to their clients. This year we have been delighted to welcome a group from China and another from Canada. The Chinese group stayed overnight at Greens at Gretna, as their first stop on Scottish soil. This was the very first familiarisation trip of 2017 so we were very honoured to be the destination that effectively kicked off Scotland’s major tourism event.”