At Edinburgh’s Tourism Showcase held at the Scottish capital last week one phenomenon was easily observed: Edinburgh’s guided tours are becoming more diverse with new tours entering the market.
Marianne Bailey from Highland Explorer Tours reassured us that this competition is for the everyone’s interest when she said: “There is a slice in the pie for everyone.” She introduced their two new Highland trips specifically designed for Outlander fans.
The TV show is one of a growing number of programmes which feature largely untouched parts of the Highlands and this has proved to be a great selling point for tourists.
There are also the brand new Scottish Beer Tours. I met their representative and Tour Guide, Sara Robertson, who remembers with amusement that they started the company ‘by accident’.
She organised a networking event and had unexpected success in converting non-beer drinkers into craft-beer fans. The Scottish Beer Tour’s brewery tour start from Summerhall and feature the Barney Brewery. This is a family-run business which comes in handy for Sara in her well-informed demonstration of the beer-making process. The tour goes on to visit various Old Town pubs and bars in pursuit of traditional as well as quirky beers.
The Edinburgh Beer Factory showcased their very own tours which relaunched this year alongside their new brewery taproom. This is the home of their Paolozzi lager named after Leith’s own Sir Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi.
Their marketing strategist, Andrew Duncan, explained to me that their focus is on reinventing overlooked beer styles and redefining the craft beer scene as a unisex interest.
Nora Macleod from Access to Adventure was at the showcase to promote their beautifully inclusive tours with specialised support and limitless outdoor activities for people with additional needs. Her hope is to see domestic demand for accessible tours match that of the international.
This is a vision widely shared. VisitScotland, for example, support inclusive tourism with various events and a redeveloped Accessibility Guide on their website.
There are other tours as well – a new architecture tour, family quiz, gourmet, photography and running tours and a new, adult-only night tour at the Edinburgh Zoo, and City of Edinburgh Tour’s Alternative Tour taking in unusual landmarks and hidden murals.
Most of these are listed on a new, growing platform at www.getguided.co.uk.
