Tourism and events partner updates

Climate Springboard – kick-start your net zero journey with HIE

Highland and Islands Enterprise are inviting small and medium sized businesses from across the region to apply for their Climate Springboard programme.

This is a free six-week support programme being run on behalf of HIE by Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, to help you understand, plan, and act on climate change.

You’ll finish the programme with: 

• a compliant carbon footprint
• a clear, achievable net zero action plan
• a tailored to-do list of quick wins to lower emissions and costs
• a resource pack containing step-by-step guides
• access to a growing network of over 275 organisations on similar journeys

Find out more and apply for the programme on the HIE website.

Forth Bridge Draft Management Plan – have your say

The management plan for the Forth Bridge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is being updated. With the Forth Bridge being such an important attraction for the area, local tourism businesses are encouraged to engage and comment on the draft Management Plan 2025-2035.

You can find out more and provide feedback through an online questionnaire on the Fife Council website.

A public meeting will be held on the Tuesday 20 January at the Contact & Education Centre, Ferrymuir Gait, South Queensferry from 6pm until 8pm. Register to attend.

Drop-in sessions are also planned throughout January 2026:

• 14 January, 1pm-4pm, Rosebery Hall, South Queensferry
• 15 January, 10am-2pm, Inverkeithing Civic Centre
• 15 January, 3.30pm-7pm, North Queensferry Community Complex
• 19 January, 10am-1pm, Parkgate Centre, Rosyth
• 20 January, 2pm-5pm, Contact & Education Centre, South Queensferry
• 22 January, 11am-2pm, South Queensferry Library

Changes to VisitAberdeenshire business listings

New steps to access and update business listings on visitabdn.com are being implemented.

If your business is already listed, you will receive an email over the coming weeks inviting you to reset your password and log in to the new portal. There are a number of new features you can now take advantage of, including uploading your latest special offers. 

VisitAberdeenshire will host a short webinar on 7 January to help you explore the portal and understand how to make the most of this free resource. Register for the training session.

If you don't yet have a listing or require access to your listing sooner, please contact VisitAberdeenshire on submissions@visitabdn.com.

Help empower Scotland’s young talent with Career Ready

Join over 300 organisations across Scotland already working with Career Ready to connect with and inspire young people – while gaining real business value.

By providing a mentor and a paid summer 2026 internship, your organisation can:

• open doors for young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds
• invest in Scotland’s future workforce by building skills and confidence
• grow your own team through meaningful mentoring experiences
• showcase your organisation and the variety of careers it offers

A small commitment can make a big difference with 98.6% of Career Ready students go on to positive post-school destinations. There is a particular demand for mentors in Dundee this year.

Find out more including information on how to apply on the Career Ready website.

Scotland Loves Local Gift Card

The Scotland Loves Local campaign has launched a dedicated consumer page and gift card site. It encourages people to spend locally and support businesses within their communities. Each prepaid Mastercard-based card is tied to a specific local authority area and can be spent only in participating local businesses – keeping money circulating in the local economy. In short, it's great way to give your business and local High Street a much-needed boost.

Businesses can sign up free of charge to accept the card, provided they have a Mastercard-compatible payment terminal. The newly updated Business FAQs explain how the scheme works and how to get involved.

Learn more at the Scotland Loves Gift Card FAQ page.

Find about more about the campaign on our Scotland Loves Local page.

Be part of Edinburgh’s Resident Days initiative

Forever Edinburgh are calling on venues, attractions and experience providers to get involved in Resident Days, an opportunity for residents with an EH postcode to enjoy free or half-priced access to local leisure and hospitality experiences on specific days.

Proposed Resident Days are:

• World Tourism Day (Saturday 27 September 2025)
• Carers Rights Day (Friday 21 November 2025)
• St Andrew’s Day (Sunday 30 November 2025)
• Burns Night (Sunday 25 January 2026)

You can choose to take part in one, some, or all; and as a participating partner, you will benefit from Forever Edinburgh’s supporting marketing campaign.

Find out more and get involved on the Forever Edinburgh website.

Edinburgh Visitor Levy – accommodation guidance

Understand your responsibilities as an accommodation provider under Edinburgh’s Visitor Levy scheme, with newly published guidance from the City of Edinburgh Council’s visitor levy team.

Find out more and read the information on the City of Edinburgh Council's website.

Scottish Thistle Awards national-only categories finalists

The finalists have been announced for the Scottish Thistle Awards 2025 national-only categories. The three categories are:

• Best Luxury Experience
• Best Business Event
• Outstanding Sporting Event

The winners of these categories will be announced at the National Final ceremony on the 20 November. 

Find out more about the Scottish Thistle Awards national-only categories finalists.

Scotland’s Agritourism Survey 2025 now live

Agritourism businesses can now take part in Scotland’s Agritourism Survey 2025, to help measure the industry’s scale, performance and its potential for growth in the future.

The data collected will show the impact that agritourism has on the Scottish economy and the role it plays in sustaining businesses and rural communities.

The survey is led by VisitScotland on behalf of the National Agritourism Strategy Board and is open to all farms, crofts, estates, and smallholdings currently operating, or considering, agritourism or farm retail.

The deadline to take part is midnight on Monday 15 September.

Find out more and take part in Scotland's Agritourism Survey.

Apply now for the Changing Places Toilets Scotland Fund

Administered by Inspiring Scotland, this £10 million fund will support the increased provision of up to 150 Changing Places Toilets to meet the needs of disabled people who require carer support and equipment to use facilities.

Non-profits and small businesses can apply for project costs, and up to £10,000 in development costs, associated with building a Changing Places Toilet. Priority will be given to areas which do not currently have adequate provision of Changing Places Toilets.

The deadline for applications is midday on Monday 20 October 2025.

Find out more including information on how to apply on the Inspiring Scotland website.

Get the latest news from VisitAberdeenshire

VisitAberdeenshire’s industry newsletters are packed full of great information for tourism businesses across Aberdeenshire and the city of Aberdeen.

The August edition features their 2024/25 Impact Report, details of how to list your business on their new website, information on marketing campaigns, upcoming events and more.

You can read the August newsletter and sign up for future editions on the VisitAberdeenshire website.

Scotland Food & Drink and HIT Scotland Legacy Scholarship Award – finalists announced

Aberdeenshire local, Alanna Taylor, Fraser Cameron, from Dumfries, and Perthshire-based Andrew Jackett, have been selected by judges as the final three candidates for this new scholarship award for Scotland-based chefs.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to spend a week at The Ritz London, led by Executive Chef John Williams MBE.

The winner will be revealed at the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards on Thursday 4 September at DoubleTree by Hilton, Glasgow. 

Find out more about the finalists and the legacy scholarship on the Scotland Food & Drink website.

Celebrating Scottish manufacturers

Insider Media have launched the Insider Made in Scotland Awards in recognition of the companies and individuals that are advancing manufacturing in Scotland.

Whether it be food and drink, renewable energy solutions or digital technology, our tourism and events industry benefits from a host of excellent Scottish manufacturers supplying high quality products and services.

The deadline for entries was Wednesday 30 July with the awards taking place at the Voco Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow on Thursday 25 September.

Find more details on the Insider Made in Scotland award categories and how to enter.

Water safety - raising awareness amongst your customers

Water Safety Scotland are calling upon tourism businesses and events to raise awareness of the risks around water.

Scotland is renowned for its beaches, shorelines, lochs and rivers, and while they are beautiful places to enjoy, they can present very real dangers.

Download a Water Safety Code poster from Water Safety Scotland to display in public customer areas, eg in bedrooms as part of guest information packs, or on notice boards or display counters.

The poster is free and available in English, Chinese, French, German, Gaelic, Polish, Punjabi and Ukrainian.

Print or download a copy from the Water Safety Scotland website and help make sure our visitors enjoy Scotland’s waters safely.

Regional Food Fund – successful applicants announced

Covering a range of food and drink initiatives across Scotland, successful applicants to the Regional Food Fund are set to benefit from grants of up to £5,000 in 2025/26.

Delivered by the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership and supported by the Scottish Government, the Regional Food Fund aims to provide support for small-scale regional and collaborative projects across the country. 

The latest funding recipients include a food and drink festival in the Outer Hebrides, a virtual farmers’ market for Argyll & The Isles and the promotion of Scotland’s artisanal cheeses.

Find out more about the Regional Food Fund 2025/26 projects.

Be aware – VisitScotland scam email

Some businesses have been in touch with us to flag scam emails claiming to be selling a VisitScotland distribution / member list.

We are not working with any other organisation to contact you on our behalf and our distribution / member list has not been made available to purchase.

Should you be contacted by a third party - or if you are unsure whether the person who has contacted you works for VisitScotland - please get in touch by emailing business.support@visitscotland.com and we'll confirm whether the communication is from us.

Tips from Police Scotland

Police Scotland has a host of advice and information related to scams and fraud which may assist you in identifying false approaches:

• be on guard if someone turns up unexpectedly
• don’t assume it’s real – professional-looking websites, adverts or social media posts don’t always mean that an opportunity is genuine
• criminals can use the names of well-known brands or individuals to make their scams appear legitimate
• don’t be rushed or pressured into making a decision – a genuine organisation won’t force you to part with your money
• avoid uninvited investment offers, especially those over cold calls

Find more advice for businesses at the Police Scotland website.

New quality scheme

ASVA’s new quality scheme is now open to all attractions, activities and experience providers with prices starting from £250. The scheme is not-for-profit and owned and overseen by the businesses themselves, so its tailored specifically to your needs. There is also specific training and services to support the scheme. Any business can sign up but there are additional benefits for ASVA members.

Find out more on ASVA's quality scheme.

Edinburgh launches new accessibility guide for the city

Forever Edinburgh has launched the Edinburgh: Accessible Highlights Guide in partnership with award-winning Edinburgh-based disabled access charity, Euan’s Guide.

The guide highlights leading attractions, experiences and events across the city that are providing facilities, products and services for those with accessibility requirements.

If your business or event is interested in featuring in future editions of the guide, then please email Forever Edinburgh to find out more.

Wildfire advice

Everyone is advised to be aware of a wildfire risk this spring in Scotland. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have created a toolkit to help you share this key message with your customers in-person and through your marketing materials.

Wildfire Campaign Toolkit 2025

Martyn’s Law

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (also known as Martyn’s Law) received Royal Assent on Thursday 3 April. It will introduce new regulations to ensure venues and events are better prepared, protected and ready to respond in the event of a future terrorist attack. There will be an implementation period of at least 24 months before the act comes into force.

UK Government website factsheet