Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Six Wolsey Lodges to Promote Southern Scotland

Another press release this afternoon highlights a succesful bid for support funding from a collection of Wolsey Lodges in the South of Scotland:

A new tourism project aimed at bringing more holiday money to the South of Scotland has won funding from Visit Scotland. "We're going to show people what they are missing," said Susan Crosthwaite (chairman of the group), and "We want to attract tourists who usually pass us by."

Six 4 and 5 star Wolsey Lodges have formed a group to create a collaborative tourism/business association aiming to position and market the South of Scotland as a quality destination in its own right. There is a fantastic response from associate members (paying a £50 membership fee) from the National Trust for Scotland, the Race Courses, Royal Botanic Gardens, Drumlanrig and Dumfries House to small individual businesses in the Borders and Ayrshire Food Networks.

From large 4 and 5 star hotels such as the McMillan Group and The Luxury Collection at Turnberry to small 4 and 5 star B&Bs such as Clint Lodge St. Boswells and Alt-na-Craig East Ayrshire.

This will be a sustainable tourism marketing group with the view of continual marketing of the area in years to follow. It will develop a Southern Scotland brand and position the area as a Quality and Luxury destination Visit Scotland is providing Growth Match Funding to enable this group to promote Southern Scotland as an end destination not just a destination to pass through or visit for one night.

As part of this project the group is creating a tourism membership for Southern Scotland which will be made up of quality tourism businesses in the area. The Southern Scotland brand and association will encourage cross-selling, collaboration and an aligned tourism focus
for the area.

The Initiative is being supported by the East, North and South Ayrshire Councils and South
Lanarkshire Council and will promote the area as both a short stay and long stay tourist destination with a wealth of quality accommodation, activities, businesses that can cater for the more affluent visitor all year round - keeping visitors in the South of Scotland.

The group will promote a range of itineraries and bespoke visitor packages to entice visitors and to encourage additional bed nights and spend in the area. This tourism marketing project is called "Southern Scotland Live It Love It" highlighting the luxury focus of the campaign and the magnificence of theunique destination. They are developing a brand associated with luxury
through all of our marketing activity.

A key element of our marketing will be the online activity. A major element of this is our website
www.holidaysouthernscotland.co.uk will be the customer contact point and other activity will feed into this site and direct visitors to the online facility where ever possible.

The group will promote the ‘quality’ range of businesses within the Southern Scotland brand. For example the Wolsley Lodges and other quality assured accommodation providers are complemented by a growing number and range of activities that visitors can do when here including golf, walking, cycling, food, whisky, history, culture.

The Southern Scotland, Live it, Love it project has received £12,500 funding from the VisitScotland Growth Fund. The VisitScotland Growth Fund is a £1 million fund available for well researched, new, collaborative marketing projects from groups of tourism businesses that have a strong customer focus and that operate at local, regional or national level. Funding from the VisitScotland Growth Fund is assisting in the establishment of the brand, it’s on-line presence and innovative digital promotional activities.

Wolsey Lodges is a collection of private homes, where the standard of hospitality, the location and the individuality of each house and host, has earned its unique place within the market today. The name Wolsey Lodge recalls Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey.

When he toured the realm in the 16th century, he expected to receive generous hospitality at any suitable country house along his way. This is the service and quality our lodges will want to offer you, wherever you travel.

Wolsey Lodges vary from very grand country houses, Elizabethan manor houses, Georgian mansions, Victorian country rectories, to lovingly restored cottages. Each have their individual attributes and features, whether it is the history, the location, the surroundings or the food.

Most importantly, all Wolsey Lodge hosts invite you into their homes because they want to share them with you. They are all dedicated to making your stay as enjoyable as possible.

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