For VisitScotland marketing director Jill Walker, Scotland’s uniqueness as a destination isn’t something the destination has had to manufacture – it’s something visitors feel the moment they arrive.
“At trade shows, everybody was saying the same things – lose yourself, relax, escape,” Walker said at a VisitScotland event held at Flight Centre headquarters last week. “We thought, what actually makes Scotland distinctly different?”
Her answer is simple: the people, the personality, and a sense of wellbeing that “comes naturally” – not something staged for visitors.
Wellbeing that “comes naturally”
Rather than chasing trends, Walker says Scotland has leaned into what’s already there.
“We settled on the proposition that wellbeing comes naturally in Scotland,” she explains. “We’ve naturally got the places – they’re not curated or contrived. Whether it’s nature, history, castles, or the way people welcome you, it’s just there.”
Recent visitor insights support that positioning. Walker notes that over 59 per cent of visitors see Scotland as a destination that supports both physical and mental wellbeing, while around 80 per cent are drawn by its nature.
But she’s clear it goes beyond scenery.
“There’s almost an unspoken thing. When you’re brought up in Scotland, you want people to have a really good time. It’s more important the person coming into your home has a better time than you.”
The Scottish superpower: people and storytelling
Walker says Scotland’s “distinctive heart” is cultural – a warmth and groundedness that doesn’t feel performative.
“It’s the personality. The people – you can’t get away from that,” she says. “It’s very natural and grounded and fitting.”
That authenticity shows up in the way Scots tell stories and bring places to life – whether it’s a guide in a castle, a local sharing family history, or a host who turns a transaction into a relationship.
“You meet them and think, I’m never going to forget that person,” she says. “That’s the stuff. If you could capture that in a wee bottle and say, come and try some of that…”
It also shapes how VisitScotland approaches marketing.
“We’re not going to dress this up,” she adds. “We’re confident enough to let other people tell you what Scotland’s like.”
Why it resonates with Australians
Australia is a key market for Scotland. In 2024, Walker says it ranked seventh internationally by visitor numbers, but third for visitor expenditure and length of stay.
“That’s unbelievable when you really think about it,” she says.
And while different markets may be motivated by different things – ancestry and heritage in Australia and North America, for example, versus outdoor adventure in parts of Europe – Walker believes the bigger driver right now is a search for substance.
“Life at home is quite tricky – cost of living, wars, political unrest,” she says. “People just want a bit of groundedness.”
Not chasing trends – keeping the long view
Walker says Scotland’s strategy is anchored in attracting the “right” visitors, not just more visitors, and sticking to long-term focus rather than being pulled off course by whatever the industry is talking about this year.
“It’s not a numbers game,” she says. “Don’t lose your focus.”
For Scotland, that focus is clear: authentic hospitality, genuine storytelling, and a destination experience that feels real – because it is.
