Ancestral Tourism Beyond 2020 Webinar

Date & Time: 14 July 2020 14:00-15:30

Registration: To register please click here. Joining instructions for Zoom will be sent in advance of the webinar.

Ancestral Tourism is already worth over £100m a year to the Scottish economy and has the potential to grow significantly, according to research commissioned by VisitScotland.  Ancestral visitors are particularly valuable, as they stay longer, spend more and are less concerned about travelling at peak times.  The Covid-19 pandemic has been devastating for the tourism sector, but we know that visitors will come back to Scotland, and now is the time to think about how we can provide the best experiences possible.

One of the research insights is that these visitors have a strong sense of belonging and a strong desire to engage with local people and places.  Local heritage organisations such as archive services can facilitate that engagement by helping visitors understand how a place has developed over time and to identify where their ancestors lived and worked.

With short presentations from three industry experts, including Ian Walker, Director, Borders Journeys, and Irene O’Brien, Senior Archivist, Glasgow City Archives, this webinar will set out some of the challenges and opportunities for archivists who want to enhance their offering to ancestral tourists over the coming months and beyond 2020.

Facilitator: John Pelan, Director, Scottish Council on Archives

Registration: To register please click here.