Develop staff to stay on upward path
Experiential tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the travel industry, with more tourists seeking to connect with local cultures and communities and experience local ways of life.
Last year, there were more than three million visitors to Scotland, a 7 per cent increase on 2019 according to CMS’ Experiential Tourism report, with summer experiencing a rise of interest in adventurous activities, farm stays, unique experiences, and wellness opportunities.
“Experiential tourism is about immersing yourself in the local culture,” explains Duncan Turner, partner in CMS’ technology and media team. “It is about trying to make sure visitors are getting to know local people, finding more environmentally friendly experiences and doing things that are a bit more natural.”
The IT and data specialist believes that, while Scotland is a destination well-versed in successfully offering experiences through its hillwalking, golf and whisky offerings, there is still room to expand the sector.
“Tourists are now more able to get out of the cities and experience a little bit more locally than, for example, going to Edinburgh and seeing the castle,” Turner adds.
The growth of experiential tourism is also fuelled by a spiked interest in sustainability, says the CMS report. No fewer than 80 per cent of travellers believe that sustainability is important, with a substantial uptake recorded for travellers adopting greener habits while on holiday.
The Scottish Government has invested £20 million into its Active Travel Transformation Fund for 2023-24, and with some 2,100 miles of cycle network routes available, Scotland is becoming a popular destination for holidaymakers on two-wheels.
Jenni Darling, a senior associate in CMS’ employment team, says: “The amount of people that are interested in cycling holidays in Scotland is increasing, these holidays would have typically been associated with somewhere such as Bordeaux, France, where people cycle around vineyards.
People are more interested now in cycling down the East Coast of Scotland and staying in the eco-friendly accommodation there and enjoying smaller, low carbon tour options.”
Further north, the 90-mile SnowRoads route created by Cairngorms Business Partnership has seen the introduction of an app, combining virtual and augmented reality to help travellers navigate through the towns and villages between Blairgowrie and Grantown-on-Spey, lessening the need for physical information, and allowing communities to provide content.
The CMS team points to Nordic countries, where nature and sustainability are considered essential aspects of life, as destinations Scotland can learn from to develop its experiential tourism industry.
Sweden’s public transport is 100 per cent driven by renewable energy and its network can be used to explore the full length of the country, with the Swedish government keen to promote nature-based activities throughout.
Meanwhile, Finland’s capital has a dedicated tourism website, My Helsinki, featuring information on where to eat, drink and stay sustainably in the city for each season of the year.
While tourism in Scotland is biggest in summer, the country has plenty to offer visitors during the other seasons, although the main challenge for the industry here is attracting and retaining staff. Roles in tourism are often viewed as short term or temporary, but employers should consider offering positions which can be developed into solid career opportunities which will benefit both their company and the individual employee.
“There has to be a change of mindset,” Darling maintains. “Good salaries are of course an obvious benefit that employees look for, but realistically they are not always possible in smaller organisations. Changing the emphasis so that employees in the industry become experience providers rather than service providers is likely to make the jobs more attractive and in turn promote more loyal and long-term employees.”
A government focus on education for the sector could help to make it more attractive to employees, while supporting small-to-medium-sized companies with limited budgets.
Additionally, tourism businesses should diversify the nature of their workforces, to bring more skills into their organisation at a local level.
The UK Government announced earlier this year its “returnships” initiative to bring those aged over 50 – which accounts for more than three and a half million people – back into the workplace and develop their skillsets, including more digital know-how. By implementing innovative technology, the sector can ensure everyone has the tools to develop the right skills needed for success.
Turner adds: “Technology could help smaller businesses, which will have a more nuanced need for training, and if the sector could create an industry-wide training tool built into a single platform, all of those smaller businesses could sign up to gain access to training materials.”
Just as the CMS tourism report reveals that visitors to Scotland are increasingly focused on sustainability, so too are people working in the industry.
Turner concludes: “Ultimately, if the experience is much more sustainable, local and authentic, it will make it more attractive for the staff.”