News

The new strategy builds on the achievements of the first strategy, which guided the collective work of the sector and Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) from 2012 to 2022.

Following extensive consultation, the 2023- 2030 strategy outlines a shared vision that: “Scotland’s museums and galleries are thriving, connected, and resilient organisations which are agile in embracing change. Trusted and valued by the widest diversity of Scotland’s people, our collections, and the shared stories we tell, are accessible and inclusive to all.”

The strategy supports museums and galleries to meet changing environmental, economic, and social contexts and to strengthen their invaluable role at the heart of Scotland’s communities.

Consultations with museums, galleries, and a wide range of stakeholders started in December 2021 to understand how to ensure the future success and relevance of the sector. Ten priority areas were identified and the strategy groups these priorities into three interlinking strands of Connection, Workforce, and Resilience.

At the strategy’s core is the need to ensure that Scotland’s museum and gallery collections are cared for, accessible, and shared through strong partnership working, both within and outside the sector, collaborating on vital and relevant work across the culture, arts and heritage sector as well as Scotland’s wider social and economic economy.

The three strategy strands interlink as do the ten priority areas as development across all these areas will help achieve the strategy vision.

Lucy Casot, CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland said: “Our sector asked for an ambitious yet achievable strategy which reflects the social and economic contexts of the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, whilst highlighting the unique potential of museums and galleries. 

For us, it is important that the strategy is practical and grounded, supporting development across areas identified through consultations as essential for the future of our sector. MGS will champion and support all museums across Scotland to respond to the opportunities and collective ambition set out in the strategy.”

Culture Minister Neil Gray said:“We are fortunate in Scotland to have museums and galleries that care for and promote our rich cultural heritage so that these inspiring places can be accessed and shared by everyone.

“I’m delighted to welcome this new strategy which builds on Museum Galleries Scotland’s work with the sector to create a best practice model of collaboration and shared learning. This will ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy these fantastic collections.”

Mike Benson, Director of the Scottish Crannog Centre said:“The strategy captures and sets out a shared sense of mission for the sector in Scotland. It sees museums as places of activism, as places that are rooted in their communities, and as places that can build strong connections inside and out to create museums that anyone would want to be part of.

The strategy is a foundation for museums to develop a workforce that grows in skills and confidence in their role in creating a fairer, more equal society and how our collections matter as part of a changing world. It’s through a diverse workforce that we become better connected and more resilient.

I relish the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues across the sector and beyond in delivering the work set out in this strategy.”

Today MGS also launches a new website designed to provide museums with support and inspiration to deliver the strategy. The website will help showcase the work of museums, helping to share learning and also spotlight best practice.

The strategy can be found on MGS’s website, which includes an introductory film, as well as case studies, and a short animated film which provides a simple guide on how the strategy is structured and how it will be delivered.

Last week, our CEO, Gordon Morrison, attended a meeting of the Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership (SIAP) to discuss the possible ramifications of legislation which will potentially significantly restrict alcohol advertising and promotion in Scotland.
 
As members may be aware, the Scottish Government has recently published a public consultation on potential alcohol advertising and promoting restrictions in Scotland. The public consultation, which can be viewed here, will run until 9th March 2023. 
 
The consultation paper is wide-ranging and covers potential restrictions on all of the major sources of exposure to alcohol advertising and promotion in Scotland, including advertising outdoors, in-store, and through sports and events sponsorship.
 
ASVA will be responding to the consultation, and we would recommend that members do too, as the suggested restrictions could have a significant impact on Scottish Tourism. ASVA will provide further guidance to members in the coming weeks as to suggested responses to the consultation, but for now, we would recommend that time is taken to familiarise yourself with the proposals contained within it, which include prohibiting the sale of alcohol branded merchandise, prohibiting alcohol brands from sponsoring cultural and sporting events and restricting the visibility of alcohol in retail environments.
 
Members may also be interested to know that our friends at Scotland Food & Drink are hosting a webinar on Tuesday 31st of January at 11am with more information on the consultation and how to feed in your views. You can register for this webinar here.
 
Responses can be submitted to the consultation by clicking on this link. 

Our colleagues at the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) have just published a Local Visitor Levy Manifesto with Recommendations report, The Manifesto has been developed with the STA’s Council and Board – which includes representation from ASVA as well as from across the tourism, hospitality, supply, and business landscape The manifesto and report has been shared with MSPs, local authority chief executives and leaders, and key business stakeholders. 

The manifesto states that, in the event that visitor levy legislation is introduced, the tourism industry is committed to working closely alongside the Scottish Government and local authorities to ensure that it is executed in the most effective way and used as a force for good, with net revenue raised reinvested in local tourism priorities that contribute to making Scotland a world leader in 21st century tourism. 

It also makes it clear that, from an industry standpoint,  it is crucial that there is proper scrutiny, impact assessment and analysis ahead of the legislative process getting underway, with a key role for the newly formed Regulatory Joint Taskforce in considering the concerns from sectors around the significant cost or operational impacts of introducing the power to charge a local visitor levy. 

ASVA has played a contributory role in the development of the Manifesto, articulating that views on the introduction of a visitor levy are mixed in our sector, but that there is universal agreement that if such a levy is introduced that the funds generated from it must be used to benefit tourism in local communities. We are pleased to see that this is the central point of the manifesto. 

If you wish to read the manifesto, please click here.  

Relevant to some of our members, the deadline for applications for the VAT Refund scheme for museums & galleries has been extended. The deadline is now Wednesday 1 March 2023. 

The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has just published new guidance on applying for the scheme, which can be found here. DCMS has also provided clarity on the eligibility of museums that operate with seasonal hours, with the scheme now extended to include applications from museums which are open seasonally.  

DCMS has advised that any enquires about the scheme can be made to vat33a@dcms.gov.uk.  

For more information and further guidance, click here.  

This week the UK Government announced a new “Energy Bills Discount Scheme” for UK businesses, charities, and the public sector from April 2023. The scheme comprises two elements – support for all businesses, charities, and public sector organisations, and support at a higher level for energy and trade-intensive industries. Critically, many attraction types are included in this latter group of eligible sectors, including museums, libraries and archives, historical sites and buildings, and zoos. 

The new scheme will mean all eligible UK businesses and other non-domestic energy users will receive a per-unit discount on high energy bills during the 12-month period from April 2023 to March 2024, subject to a maximum discount. The relative discount will be applied if wholesale prices are above a certain price threshold. For most non-domestic energy users in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, these maximum discounts have been set at: 

• Electricity – £19.61 per megawatt-hour (MWh) with a price threshold of £302 per MWh. 
• Gas – £6.97 per MWh with a price threshold of £107 per MWh.

As members will be aware, the UK Government is providing a package of support for non-domestic users through this winter, worth £18 billion per the figures certified by the OBR at the Autumn Statement. The new scheme has a cap set at £5.5 billion.  

Eligible organisations will need to apply for the higher level of support. Further guidance can be found here.  

ASVA is, of course, pleased that many attraction types are included in the list of eligible businesses for the higher levels of support, however there is also disappointment that the UK Government is reducing the current levels of support provided to businesses. We will continue to argue forcibly that further support for those in our sector facing huge energy cost hikes this year is paramount if we are to avoid further harm to the sector. 

The latest ASVA Visitor Attractions Barometer reports, for November 2022, is now available to view in the Members Area of our website.

As has been noted in previous reports comparing 2022 figures to those of 2021 presents some challenges, primarily due to the levels of covid disruption that were still being experienced through much of 2021. Whilst Scotland was ‘Beyond Level 0’ in November, under the Scottish Government’s Strategic Framework for Recovery, a number of covid measures, such as compulsory face coverings and the requirement for test and protect information in hospitality settings, remained in place. Consumer confidence in visiting attractions was also very fragile at this corresponding period in 2021, so visitor numbers to certain types of visitor attractions, particularly indoor sites with enclosed spaces, were considerably lower than they would be in a ‘normal’ year. This helps to explain why, when we compare visitor numbers across ASVA member sites in November 2023, with those of November 2021, the figures for this year are considerably up.  Visitor numbers were up by almost 40% for the month and over 93% for the year to date, January to November.

Comparisons beyond 2021 data is therefore needed if we are to better understand how the season has been for Scottish attractions in 2022. By comparing November 2022 to November 2019 – a year without restrictions or crises – we get a clearer picture on how the sector has actually fared.

Looking at November ’22 vs November ’19, visitor numbers across all ASVA attractions were down just over 11% for the month and 24% for the year to date. Whilst these are strongest visitor figures that have been reported collectively by ASVA members since the start of the pandemic, the sector as a whole is still down on numbers by almost a quarter of what would be regarded as a ‘non-crisis’ year.  

Looking more closely at the different types of attractions, for the most part, even with colder weather conditions, outdoor venues still continued to outperform their indoor counterparts in terms of speed of recovery of visitor numbers. Outdoor/Nature attractions were actually up considerably, by 25%, on the corresponding month in 2019, and for the year to date, numbers for this sector are up by 5% on where they were in 2019. When compared to the likes of Castle & Forts (down 42% for the year to date), Other Historic Properties (down 29% year to date) and Museums & Galleries (down 29% year to date), it can be seen that much of the sector has a long way to go to get back to pre-pandemic levels of visitation.

On top of this, increases in the cost of doing business, issues with recruitment & retention of staff and, of course, the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the consumer are undoubtedly now causing challenges which will inhibit the sector’s recovery as we move into 2023, particularly for those attractions who largely rely on local and domestic visitors.

ASVA continues to shine a spotlight on the conditions many of our members are facing to both the Scottish and UK Governments, including the very pressing challenges being faced that those venues where energy contracts are ending and they are facing financially crippling new bills. We also continue to highlight the importance of our sector to tourism in Scotland and to our country’s economy and cultural standing, to ensure that those in the corridors of power fully understand the very real need to continue to support our sector through challenging times.

The latest ASVA Visitor Attractions Barometer reports, for October 2022, are now available to view in the Members Area of our website.
 
As has been noted in previous reports, comparing 2022 figures to those of 2021 presents some challenges, primarily due to the levels of covid disruption that were still being experienced through much of 2021. Whilst Scotland was ‘Beyond Level 0’ in October, under the Scottish Government’s Strategic Framework for Recovery, some covid measures, such as compulsory face coverings and the requirement for test and protect information in hospitality settings, remained in place. Consumer confidence in visiting attractions was also very fragile at this corresponding period in 2021, so visitor numbers, particularly to indoor attractions, visitor numbers, were considerably lower than they would be in a ‘normal’ year. It is therefore no surprise that, when we compare visitor numbers across ASVA member sites in October this year with those of October 2021 – where there remained some restrictions in place and there was fragile consumer confidence – the figures for October this year are considerably up.  Visitor numbers were up by 38.9% for the month and a whopping 98.3% for the year to date, January to October.
 
Further analysis is therefore needed if we are to better understand to what extend visitor attractions are seeing a genuine recovery in 2022. By comparing October 2022 to October 2019 – a pre-pandemic year – we get a clearer picture on how the sector is actually faring now. Comparing October ’22 to October ’19, visitor numbers across all ASVA attractions were down 11.3% for the month and 24.8% for the year to date. Whilst these are strongest visitor figures that have been reported collectively by ASVA members since the start of the pandemic, the sector as a whole is still considerably down on what would be regarded as a normal year’s activity.
 
Numbers have, however, been gradually improving as the year has gone on, with public confidence clearly returning and there has certainly been a more significant return of international visitors than anticipated, with the high spending North American visitors in particular returning well, and spending plenty of money when with us. Never-the-less, the recovery is slow overall and somewhat inconsistent across different attraction types and locations. On top of this, increases in the cost of doing business, issues with recruitment & retention of staff and, of course, the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the consumer are undoubtedly now causing challenges which inhibit the sector’s recovery, particularly for those attractions who largely rely on local and domestic visitors.

ASVA continues to shine a spotlight on the challenging conditions many of our members are facing to both the Scottish and UK Governments, highlighting in particular the extreme challenges being faced that those venues where energy contracts are ending, and renewal figures being quoted are for eye watering sums of money. We also continue to stress the importance of our sector to tourism in Scotland and to our country’s economy and cultural standing, as it is clear that next year is shaping up to be another challenging one for our industry.

As we move into the new year and focus turns to the season ahead, ASVA is pleased to announce a new suite of training workshops specifically designed to help attraction operators enhance their service delivery and improve their bottom line. 2023 will be a challenging year for tourism.  As the cost of living and cost of doing business crises continues to bite, we must look not only at how we can deliver an outstanding experience for our visitors, but also how we can maximise the revenue that we receive from each visitor passing through our doors.
 
ASVA has engaged with tourism training specialists – Complete Works – to deliver three workshops which will equip your teams with the tools required to meet the challenges we will all face in 2023 as we seek to increase revenue and deliver outstanding experiences.
 
The three workshops, Complete Storytelling, Complete Sales and Complete Experience, are all standalone, but complimentary programmes, and will be delivered at locations in both central and northern Scotland, throughout January February and March. More details on the first of these workshops – being delivered in January – can be found below:

Complete Storytelling
Given the current financial challenges being faced by both our industry and our visitors, there has never been a more prescient time for you to understand how to unlock the full potential of your stories to benefit your business. Complete Storytelling provides an exciting, hugely relevant, training and development opportunity to allow you to do this.
 
The impact of the pandemic and cost of living crisis has hit our industry hard and this training is specifically designed to help you stimulate business recovery by giving you the tools you need for a vital element: great storytelling. Successful consumer experiences are the product of creating and delivering engaging and memorable stories. Designed to help tourism businesses rebuild income streams, the complete Storytelling workshops will enable delegates to learn new communications and sales skills to help enhance customer service delivery and generate secondary income.
 
In the highly motivational workshops, attendees learn how the power of your story can motivate staff, create exceptional consumer experiences and generate income, and delegates are taught how to use storytelling to engage, sell and create brand loyalty. The course breaks down the fears and boundaries that prohibit truly effective communication; this is achieved through teaching and practicing practical methods in a safe, supported and inspiring environment. Using performance techniques, the experienced professional trainers hone participants’ skills in Body Language and Voice by teaching tried and tested tips and tricks used by actors and presenters. Pre-workshop, a little apprehension is normal; post-workshop, increased confidence, positivity and new tricks up your sleeve is standard.

Stories effortlessly transform consumers into ambassadors; generating repeat visits, recommendations and increased secondary spend.
 
Content includes:

• Why do we tell stories?
• The impact of stories
• The 6 essential stories
• The 3 vital uses for stories in business
• Your business stories
• Story structure
• Communication styles
• The importance of stories
• Using body language
• Vocal techniques
• Stagecraft
• Working with text
• Storytelling hacks

Don’t miss this valuable opportunity to learn how to unlock the power of your stories to enhance your service delivery and boost your bottom line.

This course compliments ‘Complete Sales’ and ‘Complete Experience’. It is recommended that delegates attending Complete Storytelling, will also undertake Complete Sales and Complete Experience. However, it is not a pre-requisite, as all courses are standalone.
 
For details of Complete Sales click on this link and for Complete Experience, please click here.
 
ASVA Accreditation
All delegates that complete this suite of three training courses will become certified by ASVA as a ‘Complete Customer Care’ specialist. ASVA‘s vision is to support and inspire Scottish visitor attractions to deliver outstanding experiences for each and every visitor and the ASVA brand is recognised across the tourism industry in Scotland and the UK. These courses will support the professional development of staff on their career journeys.
 
The special ASVA member rate to attend is £109.00 (plus vat), whilst the non-member rate is £195.00 (plus vat). Recognising the economic challenges being faced by the industry, we have endeavoured to keep the member fee as low as we possibly can. We would like to acknowledge the willingness to help us do this by the trainers at Complete Works and the venue operators at VisitScotland, Skills Development Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, all of whom have taken steps to reduce the costs of putting on these elite training events.

We will be running 3 Complete Storytelling courses in January, for details and to book please click on the relevant links below:
Edinburgh – 24th January
Glasgow – 25th January
Inverness – 26th January
 
The Complete Sales workshops will take place in similar locations at dates in February and those for Complete Experience will be happening in March. Booking details for these courses will follow very shortly.  

Paul Nixon, General Manager at The Real Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh has been appointed the new Chair of the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA), the body which represents the interests of the visitor attractions sector in Scotland.

The appointment was confirmed at ASVA’s recent annual general meeting.

Having spent the past 20 years in senior tourism roles, Paul has managed some of Scotland’s most popular visitor attractions including, Deep Sea World, the National Museum of Flight, the Scottish Seabird Centre, and CairnGorm Mountain. In 2019, he joined the Continuum Group as General Manager at the 5 Star accredited Real Mary Kings Close. 

Speaking of his appointment as Chair of ASVA, Paul said: “I am both delighted and honoured to be stepping up into the role of Chair to support the ASVA Board and executive team going forward. Whilst many members are still healing from the implications of the pandemic and with the continuing challenges within our sector, I am very confident that ASVAs mission and strategy will continue to provide our members with the support and guidance needed, to enable us all to develop and grow.”

The organisation has also welcomed three new ASVA board members to enhance ASVA’s voice and reach across various regions in Scotland. Joining the board are Isabel Rhodes, Chief Executive Officer for Gretna Green Ltd, and Iain Hawkins, Regional Director at the National Trust for Scotland for the Northeast, two individuals with an unparalleled knowledge of the industry, who are passionate advocates for their respective regions.

Isabel Rhodes has over 20 years of previous experience in senior executive leadership roles within the retail industry and has recently led a multimillion-pound transformation of the Famous Blacksmiths Attraction developing an immersive storytelling experience for tourism visitors to Scotland, showcasing the history and heritage to both UK and international visitors.

Iain Hawkins joined the National Trust for Scotland in 2016 and is based at the region’s offices in the Crathes estate. Iain is responsible for a diverse portfolio of properties across Aberdeenshire and Angus including J M Barrie’s Birthplace, Barry Mill, Castle Fraser, Craigievar Castle, Crathes Castle, Drum Castle, Fyvie Castle, Haddo House, House of Dun, Leith Hall and Pitmedden Garden. Before joining the National Trust for Scotland in 2016, Iain spent 22 years working for global visitor attraction operator Merlin Entertainments.

As well as the appointments of Iain and Isabel, ASVA has sought to recognise the important contribution that young people make within the attractions industry, by introducing a new Board position specifically for talented individuals under the age of 30. The organisation is delighted to welcome Erin Flett, Head of Business Development at Aberdeen Science Centre, to the Board in this role, one of the industry’s most talented young professionals.

On becoming the organisation’s youngest board member, Erin said: “I’m delighted to be joining the ASVA Board at what is a very exciting, albeit challenging, time for the visitor attractions industry. As the youngest board member to date, I hope to be a different voice around the table, and I look forward to working with my fellow Board Members and the executive team over the next few years.”

Welcoming the new ASVA Chair and board members, Gordon Morrison, CEO of ASVA said: “I am delighted to welcome Paul Nixon as the new Chair of ASVA. Paul has many years’ experience of working in visitor attractions and is acutely aware of both the challenges and opportunities for our sector over the coming months and years. I am also delighted that ASVA has further strengthened our Board with new, distinct, strong voices from the Northeast and South of the country. Both Iain and Isabel have their fingers on the pulse of tourism in their regions, and I am really looking forward to working with them to further benefit attractions in these beautiful parts of Scotland. 

Recognising the importance of young people to our sector is something I am passionate about. Having worked in tourism & hospitality myself since my early 20s, I know that this industry presents great opportunities for career development for young people and that young people bring so much creativity, energy and new ideas to our sector that help us to consistently exceed visitor expectations. I am therefore really excited that ASVA has appointed its youngest board member to date, Erin Flett.

I have no doubts that all these new voices around the Board table will be huge assets to our organisation as we continue to support and inspire Scottish visitor attractions to deliver outstanding experiences for each and every visitor.”

The five regional winners of the Best Visitor Attraction have now been shortlisted for a national Scottish Thistle Award – which celebrates the best of Scotland’s tourism and events industry. We would like to congratulate ASVA members Camera Obscura & World of Illusions, MacDuff Marine Aquarium, and The Helix for becoming finalists for the Great Day Out award at the National Scottish Thistle Awards. 

The winner of the Great Day Out Award will be announced at the Scottish Thistle Awards National Final on February 9, 2023. 

It is pleasing to see ASVA members strongly represented in the finals, and it is great for our sector as a whole that the Scottish Sun is shining a spotlight on some of the high-quality attractions have to offer. 

For the first time, the winner of the award will be picked by the general public with the voting open now. Anyone reading this article can vote for their favourite, which will be a very difficult decision to make, given the quality of attractions in the final. 

Voting is open now and will close on 3rd December at midnight, the link to vote for the winner can be found here. 

Scotland’s smaller tourism establishments, including eligible visitor attractions, are being encouraged to find out how leading international eco-certificate – Green Key – can help them to secure year-on-year environmental improvements, financial savings and attract customers who are increasingly seeking out sustainable options. 

Keep Scotland Beautiful is working with VisitScotland to give smaller tourism establishments the chance to join Green Key with a discount of £500 off the first year of membership. The funding is part of VisitScotland’s Sustainability Certification Scheme Fund for Tourism Recovery, and the Destination Net Zero Programme. The discount is available for ten micro, small and SME businesses until March 2023, on a first come first served basis. 

For more information, please click here.