VisitScotland has appointed VIPS (VisitScotland Information Partners) who will assist them in spreading tourist information across the country. One of those is Europe’s largest independently owned, family-run car company, Arnold Clark which will be handing visitors the keys to unlock the ultimate Scottish holiday experience.
Eight of its Car and Van Rental sites in Scotland, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Prestwick and Inverness Airports, as well as central locations in Aberdeen and Dundee, have received iKnow accreditation from the national tourism organisation.
Launched in May 2016, the VIP programme ties in with VisitScotland’s global Spirit of Scotland campaign. The innovative project harnesses the local knowledge, warmth and enthusiasm of partners across the country to help visitors receive the warmest of welcomes and allow them to make the most of their trip to Scotland.
Established in 1954, Arnold Clark has expanded from a single car showroom in Glasgow to a UK-wide organisation employing and training over 11,000 members of staff.
The business has always been people-oriented and takes pride in having customer-focused staff across the country who are always willing to impart their local knowledge on to visitors. It therefore made perfect sense to join VisitScotland in this exciting approach to information provision.
This is another example of the strong partnership VisitScotland and Arnold Clark have developed over the years. The firm has been stand partners at VisitScotland Expo for the past 25 years and has developed strong working relationships with the national tourism organisation’s travel trade and the Scottish events community.
They also provide the iconic Coo Vans which, like the VIP programme, are another new and innovative way that VisitScotland is passing on distinctive information about things to see and do throughout the country.
Jeff Clark, General Manager of Arnold Clark Car & Van Rental, said: “We’re delighted to join the VisitScotland Information Partner programme. Arnold Clark Car & Van Rental pride themselves on their knowledge and are always happy to inform our customers about the best local sights and attractions. With this official recognition we’ll continue to provide a wonderful service to visitors from around the world to ensure they experience the best that Scotland has to offer.”
Manuela Calchini, Head of Information at VisitScotland, said: “Arnold Clark are a fantastic addition to our network of VIPs. They are a wonderful business we have worked with for a long time so I am delighted to see them get involved in the programme. Visitors using the firm can expect a high standard of customer service and sound local knowledge.
“The VIP programme celebrates and supports tourism businesses as they act as local ambassadors and help provide information, assistance and advice on all there is to see and do here. This follows a growing trend among consumers to use online resources to plan their trips and we now have partners throughout the country providing high quality information and advice to visitors with whom they interact.”
The programme forms part of VisitScotland’s focus on information which also includes a global online community to allow Scots and those who love Scotland to bring alive the streets, characters and landscapes of our country.
The scheme is open to a wide variety of businesses, as well as community groups, local authority-operated library services and social enterprises. VisitScotland provides the partner sites with official signage and collateral, promotional material and information resources to make sure visitors receive an excellent standard of information about the area and the rest of Scotland.
For more information, visit www.visitscotland.org.
Photo © Ian Watson
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
