1

Good luck to us

all in the 2009

Tourist Season

In the year of

The

Homecoming

Explore Scotland News

Would you believe that we have been producing

the Explore Inverness Guides since 2000 four-

teen years In these fourteen years we have

seen a lot of change in how we access the tour-

ist market how the visitors are looking and find-

ing information for their holidays

The big change in this time has been how the

tourism industry has had to embrace the inter-

net Back in 2000 many holiday makers arrived

in their destination and headed for the Tourist

Office to collect information Today visitors do

much of their planning on line

Our focus as Explore Scotland has been to pro-

vide information on specific areas of Scotland

much of which does not have a web site or

championed by some business or enterprise I

call these the gold nuggets the special pieces of

information that when you are on holiday make

your holiday a bit different

Our new Explore web sites (new in 2012) have

made use of the latest technology They are ac-

cessible through all types of devices from mobile

phones tablets net books to desk top comput-

ers They use Google language translator (for all

those whose first language is not English)

Google Maps to show locations and a direction

planner through out the web site There is also a

Trip Planner on each Explore web site where

visitors can go round the web site collecting all

the things that catch their eye from Events to

attractions and those lsquogold nuggetsrsquo that they do

not find on other sites They can print this off

and bring it with them on holiday to remind

Explore Inverness Start of the Season Newsletter

A chance to update ourselves ready for the new season Thank you to all the businesses for contributed articles

April 2014

Explore Scotland Ltd

01796 473335

The newsletter

Gives you the latest Inverness

tourist business news

Written by the businesses

themselves

Inverness

Newsletter 2014

Once upon a time a

few years past

tourism businesses

collected information

for their customers at

Start of the Season

Leaflet Days

These events by and

large do not happen

any longer

This publication

brings you news

direct from other

tourism businesses in

the area

2

Explore Scotland News

Page 2 Explore Inverness Tourism Newsletter 2014

them what caught their eye when they were

doing their holiday research

We have also learnt that Events can make a

big difference to peoplersquos holidays Events

are generally scattered across a whole host

of web sites that most holiday makers will

never have the time nor the energy to trawl

through So we have specialised in pulling

the events together in one place and made

them highly searchable (see the article on

page 6)

The big hitters on the Internet

The big money generators on the internet

are the accommodation booking engines

(see article on page 7) which charge com-

mission to the owners and the purchaser

making millions in the process

None of us like to travel to a destination not

knowing where we are going to stay It

would be a real lottery and highly stressful

So we prepare for our holiday by searching

the internet and taking time to work out

where we can stay and get our broad travel

itinerary worked out before we leave home

Leaving many of the minor decisions for

when we are on holiday such as where we

are going to eat and do

Despite all this technology people still like

to have something they can read in their

hand preferably with maps to help them

make these decisions This is where our

Explore Guides fit the Explore guides do not

sell accommodation which we believe is for

the internet but it does set out to promote

the area in a easy to use informative style

(no graffiti adverts where businesses buy a

space and splash what ever they want on it

trying to out compete the other spaces sold

in the publication) We control the infor-

mation format and style Many visitors tell

us they collect the Explore guides for the

different areas they visit tak-

ing them home as holiday sou-

venirs

We see accommodation pro-

viders as part of the Explore

Scotland team The Explore

guides were first developed

back in 1999 with lots of excel-

lent feedback and constructive

criticisms from accommodation providers

over the years which has helped shaped

todayrsquos Explore Guides

Our objective has always been to give ac-

commodation providers a reasonable quali-

ty publication that promotes their area for

their guests Maps supported by good infor-

mation helps them learn the choices they

have and hopefully encourages some of

them to stay longer and others to come

back again as there was so much to do

This year 2014 we have expanded the Ex-

plore inverness Guide to include the whole

of Loch Ness The area map on the back

page has been expanded to show this new

area with new maps for Drumnadrochit and

Fort August added

We would appreciate any comments you

may have as good constructive criticism

and ideas is what has always helped us to

evolve what we do to contact us e-mail

jamesexplorescotlandnet or Tel 01796

473335

ldquoDolphins

are the

obvious

attraction

and we

encounter

them on

many of the

tripsrdquo

We are a

small local

family run

souvenir and

gift shop We

c o n s t a n t l y

strive to offer

our visitors a

unique shop-

ping experi-

ence and can

safely state

that we offer

the best ser-

vice and the

most competitively priced gifts and souve-

nirs than anyone else with in the city

We would be happy to help furnish your

breakfast rooms with the latest Scottish

related coasters aprons table mats etc at a

15 discount on production of your relevant

business card Just pop in and we will do it

at the till

We have fluent German Italian and French

speakers and I extend to all readers the

opportunity to contact Josef at the shop if

you feel you might need a translator even

to the extent of working out if your custom-

ers want their eggs boiled or scrambled

Just pick up the phone

In addition to the usual credit card facilities

we accept euro notes and are the only re-

tailer in Inverness accepting euro coins for

purchases even giving change in euros

We are located opposite Costa Coffee on

Inglis street and we trade from 9am till

10pm 7 days a week

I hope we all have a busy season ahead

good luck to Inverness martin

Highland Souvenirs

15 Inglis street

Inverness IV1 1HN

Tel 01463 713 475

Highland Souvenirs

3

Lockhartrsquos Event Catering has been estab-

lished for over 15 years

Providing a professional bespoke service

throughout Scotland we have proven expe-

rience in many types of events including

weddings corporate events TV and film

shoots field events and much more Lock-

hartrsquos are also available to the service and

hospitality sector be it general manage-

ment restaurant management or event

management - so if you are a hotel or a

corporate company looking to organise an

event and are not sure where to start con-

tact us and we can help to manage your

event from start to finish

We have an excellent team of proven quality

suppliers and staff all helping to make any

event a massive success We also have a

superb network of industry professionals

through whom we can source almost any-

thing We are immensely proud to have

been awarded the Scottish regional event

caterer of the year for 2013 an achieve-

ment well deserved

For more information on how we are able to

help add to your event please contact us

either by e mail facebook through our web

site or by telephone

W wwwlockhartseventcateringcouk

E johnlockhartseventcateringcouk

T 01463 232333 M 07980560962

Lockhartrsquos Event Catering

Page 3 April 2014

Groam House Museum GROAM HOUSE GAINS NATIONAL STATUS

FROM MUSEUMS GALLERIES SCOTLAND

The George Bain Collection cared for by

Groam House Museum has been awarded

national importance status by Museums

Galleries Scotland becoming the latest

Recognised Collection of National Signifi-

cance the first and only one in the High-

lands

Described as the ldquofather of mod-

ern Celtic designrdquo George Bain

(1881- 1968) was an artist and

teacher who devoted his life to

the painstaking study of Celtic Art

and the techniques used by art-

ists to construct these intricate

pictures Groam House Museum

situated in the Black Isle village

of Rosemarkie is home to a wide

range of Bainrsquos work and is the

only collection of its kind The

collection includes his designs

and examples of paintings em-

broidery knitting patterns em-

bossed leatherwork sculpture

carpets and jewellery

The purpose of Bainrsquos work was

not to simply recreate Celtic de-

signs but to use this understanding of how

the ancient work was created to inspire new

designs and even new methods of working

The Textiles Collection cared for by Shetland

Amenity Trust has also received the same

award

Ray Macfarlane Chair of Museums Galler-

ies Scotlandrsquos Recognition Committee said

ldquoTo gain Recognition status a museum must

prove that their collection is of national im-

portance The Recognition Committee unan-

imously felt that the collections cared for by

Groam House Museum and Shetland Amen-

ity Trust are completely unique ndash there are

no other collections like

these anywhere in the

worldrdquo

Fiona Hyslop Cabinet

Secretary for Culture and

External Affairs said

ldquoThe latest announce-

ment brings the total of

Recognised Collections

of National Significance

to 41 These Recog-

nised Collections are

located in towns and

cities across Scotland

From Orkney to Dumfries

and from Dundee to Ayr

visitors are inspired by

collections of remarka-

ble historic and social

significancerdquo

Recognition status brings many advantages

for a museum as it opens up access to

Recognition funding from Museums Galler-

ies Scotland The funding boosts the muse-

ums ability to conserve the collection and to

explore new ways to deliver their visitor

experience The museums also receive a

plaque and certificate to display alongside

their collections

Bill Bound Chairman and Treasurer of

Groam House Museum said

ldquoWe are proud to gain the award of National

Recognition The George Bain Collection is

such that we can exhibit teach research

and share to a wide audience We have

exciting plans to undertake all these activi-

ties over the next few yearsrdquo

One of Bainrsquos spectacular teaching aids

from the Collection

ldquoThe George Bain

Collection cared

for by Groam

House Museum

has been

awarded national

importance

status by

Museums

Galleries

Scotland rdquo

2

Explore Scotland News

Page 2 Explore Inverness Tourism Newsletter 2014

them what caught their eye when they were

doing their holiday research

We have also learnt that Events can make a

big difference to peoplersquos holidays Events

are generally scattered across a whole host

of web sites that most holiday makers will

never have the time nor the energy to trawl

through So we have specialised in pulling

the events together in one place and made

them highly searchable (see the article on

page 6)

The big hitters on the Internet

The big money generators on the internet

are the accommodation booking engines

(see article on page 7) which charge com-

mission to the owners and the purchaser

making millions in the process

None of us like to travel to a destination not

knowing where we are going to stay It

would be a real lottery and highly stressful

So we prepare for our holiday by searching

the internet and taking time to work out

where we can stay and get our broad travel

itinerary worked out before we leave home

Leaving many of the minor decisions for

when we are on holiday such as where we

are going to eat and do

Despite all this technology people still like

to have something they can read in their

hand preferably with maps to help them

make these decisions This is where our

Explore Guides fit the Explore guides do not

sell accommodation which we believe is for

the internet but it does set out to promote

the area in a easy to use informative style

(no graffiti adverts where businesses buy a

space and splash what ever they want on it

trying to out compete the other spaces sold

in the publication) We control the infor-

mation format and style Many visitors tell

us they collect the Explore guides for the

different areas they visit tak-

ing them home as holiday sou-

venirs

We see accommodation pro-

viders as part of the Explore

Scotland team The Explore

guides were first developed

back in 1999 with lots of excel-

lent feedback and constructive

criticisms from accommodation providers

over the years which has helped shaped

todayrsquos Explore Guides

Our objective has always been to give ac-

commodation providers a reasonable quali-

ty publication that promotes their area for

their guests Maps supported by good infor-

mation helps them learn the choices they

have and hopefully encourages some of

them to stay longer and others to come

back again as there was so much to do

This year 2014 we have expanded the Ex-

plore inverness Guide to include the whole

of Loch Ness The area map on the back

page has been expanded to show this new

area with new maps for Drumnadrochit and

Fort August added

We would appreciate any comments you

may have as good constructive criticism

and ideas is what has always helped us to

evolve what we do to contact us e-mail

jamesexplorescotlandnet or Tel 01796

473335

ldquoDolphins

are the

obvious

attraction

and we

encounter

them on

many of the

tripsrdquo

We are a

small local

family run

souvenir and

gift shop We

c o n s t a n t l y

strive to offer

our visitors a

unique shop-

ping experi-

ence and can

safely state

that we offer

the best ser-

vice and the

most competitively priced gifts and souve-

nirs than anyone else with in the city

We would be happy to help furnish your

breakfast rooms with the latest Scottish

related coasters aprons table mats etc at a

15 discount on production of your relevant

business card Just pop in and we will do it

at the till

We have fluent German Italian and French

speakers and I extend to all readers the

opportunity to contact Josef at the shop if

you feel you might need a translator even

to the extent of working out if your custom-

ers want their eggs boiled or scrambled

Just pick up the phone

In addition to the usual credit card facilities

we accept euro notes and are the only re-

tailer in Inverness accepting euro coins for

purchases even giving change in euros

We are located opposite Costa Coffee on

Inglis street and we trade from 9am till

10pm 7 days a week

I hope we all have a busy season ahead

good luck to Inverness martin

Highland Souvenirs

15 Inglis street

Inverness IV1 1HN

Tel 01463 713 475

Highland Souvenirs

3

Lockhartrsquos Event Catering has been estab-

lished for over 15 years

Providing a professional bespoke service

throughout Scotland we have proven expe-

rience in many types of events including

weddings corporate events TV and film

shoots field events and much more Lock-

hartrsquos are also available to the service and

hospitality sector be it general manage-

ment restaurant management or event

management - so if you are a hotel or a

corporate company looking to organise an

event and are not sure where to start con-

tact us and we can help to manage your

event from start to finish

We have an excellent team of proven quality

suppliers and staff all helping to make any

event a massive success We also have a

superb network of industry professionals

through whom we can source almost any-

thing We are immensely proud to have

been awarded the Scottish regional event

caterer of the year for 2013 an achieve-

ment well deserved

For more information on how we are able to

help add to your event please contact us

either by e mail facebook through our web

site or by telephone

W wwwlockhartseventcateringcouk

E johnlockhartseventcateringcouk

T 01463 232333 M 07980560962

Lockhartrsquos Event Catering

Page 3 April 2014

Groam House Museum GROAM HOUSE GAINS NATIONAL STATUS

FROM MUSEUMS GALLERIES SCOTLAND

The George Bain Collection cared for by

Groam House Museum has been awarded

national importance status by Museums

Galleries Scotland becoming the latest

Recognised Collection of National Signifi-

cance the first and only one in the High-

lands

Described as the ldquofather of mod-

ern Celtic designrdquo George Bain

(1881- 1968) was an artist and

teacher who devoted his life to

the painstaking study of Celtic Art

and the techniques used by art-

ists to construct these intricate

pictures Groam House Museum

situated in the Black Isle village

of Rosemarkie is home to a wide

range of Bainrsquos work and is the

only collection of its kind The

collection includes his designs

and examples of paintings em-

broidery knitting patterns em-

bossed leatherwork sculpture

carpets and jewellery

The purpose of Bainrsquos work was

not to simply recreate Celtic de-

signs but to use this understanding of how

the ancient work was created to inspire new

designs and even new methods of working

The Textiles Collection cared for by Shetland

Amenity Trust has also received the same

award

Ray Macfarlane Chair of Museums Galler-

ies Scotlandrsquos Recognition Committee said

ldquoTo gain Recognition status a museum must

prove that their collection is of national im-

portance The Recognition Committee unan-

imously felt that the collections cared for by

Groam House Museum and Shetland Amen-

ity Trust are completely unique ndash there are

no other collections like

these anywhere in the

worldrdquo

Fiona Hyslop Cabinet

Secretary for Culture and

External Affairs said

ldquoThe latest announce-

ment brings the total of

Recognised Collections

of National Significance

to 41 These Recog-

nised Collections are

located in towns and

cities across Scotland

From Orkney to Dumfries

and from Dundee to Ayr

visitors are inspired by

collections of remarka-

ble historic and social

significancerdquo

Recognition status brings many advantages

for a museum as it opens up access to

Recognition funding from Museums Galler-

ies Scotland The funding boosts the muse-

ums ability to conserve the collection and to

explore new ways to deliver their visitor

experience The museums also receive a

plaque and certificate to display alongside

their collections

Bill Bound Chairman and Treasurer of

Groam House Museum said

ldquoWe are proud to gain the award of National

Recognition The George Bain Collection is

such that we can exhibit teach research

and share to a wide audience We have

exciting plans to undertake all these activi-

ties over the next few yearsrdquo

One of Bainrsquos spectacular teaching aids

from the Collection

ldquoThe George Bain

Collection cared

for by Groam

House Museum

has been

awarded national

importance

status by

Museums

Galleries

Scotland rdquo

3

Lockhartrsquos Event Catering has been estab-

lished for over 15 years

Providing a professional bespoke service

throughout Scotland we have proven expe-

rience in many types of events including

weddings corporate events TV and film

shoots field events and much more Lock-

hartrsquos are also available to the service and

hospitality sector be it general manage-

ment restaurant management or event

management - so if you are a hotel or a

corporate company looking to organise an

event and are not sure where to start con-

tact us and we can help to manage your

event from start to finish

We have an excellent team of proven quality

suppliers and staff all helping to make any

event a massive success We also have a

superb network of industry professionals

through whom we can source almost any-

thing We are immensely proud to have

been awarded the Scottish regional event

caterer of the year for 2013 an achieve-

ment well deserved

For more information on how we are able to

help add to your event please contact us

either by e mail facebook through our web

site or by telephone

W wwwlockhartseventcateringcouk

E johnlockhartseventcateringcouk

T 01463 232333 M 07980560962

Lockhartrsquos Event Catering

Page 3 April 2014

Groam House Museum GROAM HOUSE GAINS NATIONAL STATUS

FROM MUSEUMS GALLERIES SCOTLAND

The George Bain Collection cared for by

Groam House Museum has been awarded

national importance status by Museums

Galleries Scotland becoming the latest

Recognised Collection of National Signifi-

cance the first and only one in the High-

lands

Described as the ldquofather of mod-

ern Celtic designrdquo George Bain

(1881- 1968) was an artist and

teacher who devoted his life to

the painstaking study of Celtic Art

and the techniques used by art-

ists to construct these intricate

pictures Groam House Museum

situated in the Black Isle village

of Rosemarkie is home to a wide

range of Bainrsquos work and is the

only collection of its kind The

collection includes his designs

and examples of paintings em-

broidery knitting patterns em-

bossed leatherwork sculpture

carpets and jewellery

The purpose of Bainrsquos work was

not to simply recreate Celtic de-

signs but to use this understanding of how

the ancient work was created to inspire new

designs and even new methods of working

The Textiles Collection cared for by Shetland

Amenity Trust has also received the same

award

Ray Macfarlane Chair of Museums Galler-

ies Scotlandrsquos Recognition Committee said

ldquoTo gain Recognition status a museum must

prove that their collection is of national im-

portance The Recognition Committee unan-

imously felt that the collections cared for by

Groam House Museum and Shetland Amen-

ity Trust are completely unique ndash there are

no other collections like

these anywhere in the

worldrdquo

Fiona Hyslop Cabinet

Secretary for Culture and

External Affairs said

ldquoThe latest announce-

ment brings the total of

Recognised Collections

of National Significance

to 41 These Recog-

nised Collections are

located in towns and

cities across Scotland

From Orkney to Dumfries

and from Dundee to Ayr

visitors are inspired by

collections of remarka-

ble historic and social

significancerdquo

Recognition status brings many advantages

for a museum as it opens up access to

Recognition funding from Museums Galler-

ies Scotland The funding boosts the muse-

ums ability to conserve the collection and to

explore new ways to deliver their visitor

experience The museums also receive a

plaque and certificate to display alongside

their collections

Bill Bound Chairman and Treasurer of

Groam House Museum said

ldquoWe are proud to gain the award of National

Recognition The George Bain Collection is

such that we can exhibit teach research

and share to a wide audience We have

exciting plans to undertake all these activi-

ties over the next few yearsrdquo

One of Bainrsquos spectacular teaching aids

from the Collection

ldquoThe George Bain

Collection cared

for by Groam

House Museum

has been

awarded national

importance

status by

Museums

Galleries

Scotland rdquo

4

Page 4 Explore Inverness Tourism Newsletter 2014

ldquo70-71

Huntly St

Inverness IV3

5JN

Tel 01463

233870rdquo

2014 Is a very exciting year for us as we

now have 2 Restaurants in Inverness With

Little Italy being so popular amp already trad-

ing for 5 years we decided to expand and

open up another Little Italy (nearly) next

door in November 2013

The new Little Italy is an Italian Tapas amp

Prosecco bar with modern quirky amp elegant

deacutecor and our original restaurant is an Au-

thentic Italian restaurant which is small and

intimate just like one yoursquoll find in Italy

At Little Italy we are Italians serving real

Authentic Italian food whether it be in small

plate style or a meal We are a family busi-

ness thatrsquos hands on with our customers

and serve all customers as if they are old

friendshellip We speak Italian Spanish Afri-

kaans and even a little French

Both restaurants benefit from excellent

outside seating on Stephens Brae and only

a few meters from Eastgate Shopping Cen-

tre The difference between us and all the

other restaurants in Inverness is that we are

open to serve food all day and our new res-

taurant Little Italy Italian Tapas amp Prosecco

bar is open on a Sunday too

We also do a variety of Prosecco (we have 6

different kinds) Prosecco cocktails amp deli-

cious Italian wines and liqueurs If yoursquore

looking for a real Italian experience then

Little Italy is the place to be and now yoursquore

spoilt for choice Booking is advisable as we fill up very quick-

ly as the word is spreading through Inver-

ness and beyond

Little Italy

ldquo2014 Is a very

exciting year

for us as we

now have

2 Restaurants

in Inverness rdquo

5

Inverness Bike Hire at Caledonian Gifts

Caledonian gifts amp souvenirs in church

street are expanding their bike hire busi-

ness with more bikes and later opening

times we will be open from 9am until

1030pm during the summer months

We can deliver mountain or hybrid bikes

direct to your door or your visitors can come

to the shop opposite the old Mcewans of

Perth

We guarantee to be the cheapest bike hire

in town with the best service available If

your visitor breaks down we will go and get

them

We will offer helmets maps and loads of

advice

We also run guided bike tours down to Loch

Ness and Culloden

Our website is wwwinvernessbikehirecouk

We accept all denominations of Euro

All FX exchanges only convert notes

We accept all coins

The Time Travellers Tavern

Historically Themed Events Banquets

or Travelling Tavern The Time Travellerrsquos Tavern are a well es-

tablished company offering your guests the

opportunity to be part of a unique magical

and memorable dining or socialising experi-

ence

Transforming your venue by using history as

a backdrop we transport your guests in a

fully interactive experience where the audi-

ence make the show Whether it is cheering

as loudly as they can for their own Knights

fighting in a full contact tournament as part

of the lsquoMedieval Banquet Experiencersquo to

sitting back in amazement at our profes-

sional fire troupe and magician your guests

will leave your venue having felt included in

the experience determined to come back

for more

Wersquove had some astounding feedback from

previous clients and guests including His-

toric Scotland the Curtis Cup Dunfermline

delivers and numerous hotels to name but a

few

From Themed Weddings Murder Mystery

nights Valentines dinners even Medieval

Birthdays Banquets we at the Time Travel-

lerrsquos Tavern believe that every occasion has

the ability to be transformed into a fantastic

experience Even if you donrsquot have a special

occasion we have the ability to transform

every night into a special one

For more information please contact us at

Tel 01463 232333 (M) 07832374442

Web wwwtimetravellerstaverncom

Emailinfotimetravellerstaverncom

Page 5 Explore Inverness Tourism Newsletter 2014

5

Inverness Bike Hire at Caledonian Gifts

Caledonian gifts amp souvenirs in church

street are expanding their bike hire busi-

ness with more bikes and later opening

times we will be open from 9am until

1030pm during the summer months

We can deliver mountain or hybrid bikes

direct to your door or your visitors can come

to the shop opposite the old Mcewans of

Perth

We guarantee to be the cheapest bike hire

in town with the best service available If

your visitor breaks down we will go and get

them

We will offer helmets maps and loads of

advice

We also run guided bike tours down to Loch

Ness and Culloden

Our website is wwwinvernessbikehirecouk

We accept all denominations of Euro

All FX exchanges only convert notes

We accept all coins

The Time Travellers Tavern

Historically Themed Events Banquets

or Travelling Tavern The Time Travellerrsquos Tavern are a well es-

tablished company offering your guests the

opportunity to be part of a unique magical

and memorable dining or socialising experi-

ence

Transforming your venue by using history as

a backdrop we transport your guests in a

fully interactive experience where the audi-

ence make the show Whether it is cheering

as loudly as they can for their own Knights

fighting in a full contact tournament as part

of the lsquoMedieval Banquet Experiencersquo to

sitting back in amazement at our profes-

sional fire troupe and magician your guests

will leave your venue having felt included in

the experience determined to come back

for more

Wersquove had some astounding feedback from

previous clients and guests including His-

toric Scotland the Curtis Cup Dunfermline

delivers and numerous hotels to name but a

few

From Themed Weddings Murder Mystery

nights Valentines dinners even Medieval

Birthdays Banquets we at the Time Travel-

lerrsquos Tavern believe that every occasion has

the ability to be transformed into a fantastic

experience Even if you donrsquot have a special

occasion we have the ability to transform

every night into a special one

For more information please contact us at

Tel 01463 232333 (M) 07832374442

Web wwwtimetravellerstaverncom

Emailinfotimetravellerstaverncom

Page 5 Explore Inverness Tourism Newsletter 2014

6

IS U or IS U aint connected

James Rattray of Explore Scotland

is a mine of useful technical infor-

mation and likes to keep up-to-

date with developments This is

something I havenrsquot time to do

properly and so it is useful to pick

his brains for useful ideas such as

using ISSUU

You can find links to on-line publi-

cations through the company IS-

SUU for Explore Scotland and

now also for on-line exhibition

catalogues for the Castle Gallery Inverness

We found the whole process of uploading

very straightforward and are delighted to

see our exhibitions presented as a smart on-

line catalogue via a widget on our website

The first catalogue we created in March

2014 was for the ceramics and paintings of

Ian McWhinnie and it can still be seen via

our website at wwwcastlegallerycouk We

plan to upload catalogues for all our main

exhibitions this year If you are not yet con-

nected to ISSUU

I would recommend it

Antiques of the future

Later this year in October the Castle Gallery

will be hosting a solo show of hand-

decorated earthenware ceramics by

Maureen Minchin

Her bowls plates

mugs jugs and

other vessels are

painted with su-

perb free flowing

drawings of wildlife

She lives on the re-

mote peninsula or

Ardnamurchan and

the flora and fauna of her wilderness sur-

roundings have been a great inspiration to

her work

I particularly like her depictions of otters

tiger moths goldcrests red squirrels and

herons I am not the only one to admire her

work however as serious ceramic collectors

and reputable auction houses have begun

to notice her pieces

Each year Bonhams in London invites partic-

ular ceramicists to provide a few pieces for

an auction of contemporary ceramics ndash the

antiques of the future maybe Maureenrsquos

exhibition preview at the Castle Gallery will

be held on 3rd October 2014 and if the last

one is anything to go by we will have cus-

tomers queuing down the street and then

rushing into the gallery to grab their pur-

chases a bit like a Harrods sale Please

contact the gallery if you would like a pre-

view invitation

Denise Col l ins D irector

Castle Gallery Inverness

The Castle Gallery in Inverness

Page 6 Explore Inverness Tourism Newsletter 2014

ldquohand-

decorated

earthenware

ceramics by

Maureenrdquo

I would like to introduce myself as

part of the Explore Scotland Team

My name is Fionna and I co-ordinate

the social media sites Facebook

Twitter amp Google+ for Explore Scot-

land and look out for events to add

to the events (Whatrsquos On) section of

the Explore Scotland web sites

Events ndash Whatrsquos On

We coordinate the events in the

area on the Whatrsquos On section of the

web site by highlighting the events

in the area If you are on holiday

how much time do you spend trying

to find out where all the events are

Surely better to have them all in one place

What makes the Explore Whatrsquos On so spe-

cial

Well you and your guests can-

Sort events by category family mu-

sic outdoors markets talks etc

Sort events by date of arrival and

departure for your guests

Print specific days events to suit

your guestrsquos stay ndash so they have all

the events during their stay

Monthly Whatrsquos On brochure

Each months events are compiled in to an

on line brochure which you can print off for

your guests We know hotels Guest houses

that print off the months events

brochure and leave it in the recep-

tion for their guests reprinting if

guests take it away with them

Adding events FREE of charge ndash if

you are running a tourist event (it

can be of interest to locals too)

and would like it to be included in

the above all you have to do is-

Go to the Explore Whatrsquos On

web site section

Top left just under the logo

click on lsquoSubmit your eventrsquo link

Fill in your event details

This will come to us at Explore Scot-

land and we will double check all the

content before publishing it We try

and do this process as quickly as

possible usually with in 24 hours

your event will be live

Social Media

I manage the day to day Explore FaceBook

Explore Scotland - Social media and Whatrsquos On

7

Explore Scotland - Social media and Whatrsquos On (cont)

Twitter and Google+ channels talking

about and championing the area promot-

ing many of the events that are on during

each month in the Whatrsquos On

If you would like me to help promote an

event coming up please make sure the

details are in our Whatrsquos On

page You can send a photo too

and I will add it to the entry to

help enhance it I will then post

and talk about your event on

our social media sites and help

you get your message out

Also let me know when you have

something to say and you would

like our support in helping to get

the word out we will be delight-

ed to support you if at all possi-

ble

You can contact me on

Fionnaexplorescotlandnet

I would like to take this opportunity to ask

you for some help and I look forward to

hearing from you

Page 7 Explore Inverness Tourism Newsletter 2014

The Big Hitters on the Internet

The big hitters - accommo-

dation booking engines

dominate the Internet

I remember back in 2000 there was a web

site called Smooth Hound that was the

leader in providing bookings for accommo-

dation providers Almost every where we

went we would see their stickers on the

doors of hotels and guest houses

I have just done a quick search and Smooth

Hound is still around but I no longer see it

appearing in the accommodation searches

as it once did

The current big players that we

hear many accommodation pro-

viders talk about are Book-

ingscom Late Rooms and Trip

Adviser

Bookingscom

Wikipedia tells us ldquoBookingcom

is a Dutch online booking portal

owned and operated by Priceline

It was established in 1996 and

offers accommodation booking

It claims to deal with more than

550000 room nights reserva-

tions per day and in 2013 ac-

counted for more than two thirds

of Pricelines reve-

nue It was acquired

by Priceline in 2005

Bookingcom is available in

more than 41 languagesrdquo

Who are Priceline Wikipedia

tells us ldquoPricelinecom is an

American company and a com-

mercial website that claims to

help users obtain discount

rates for travel-related purchas-

es such as airline tickets and

hotel stays The company is not

a direct supplier of these ser-

vices instead it facilitates the

provision of travel services by

its suppliers to its customers It

is headquartered in Norwalk

Connecticut United Statesrdquo

No registration fees subscriptions or fixed

costs - Registration with Bookingcom is

completely free There are no sign-up or

subscription costs

Commission-based model - Guests pay you

directly so you donrsquot have to wait for pay-

ment You will receive a monthly commis-

sion invoice from Bookingscom based on

the guests that stayed with you that month

Trip Advisorcom

Wikipedia tells us ldquoTripAdvisor was an early

adopter of user-generated content The

8

The Big Hitters on the Internet (cont)

website services are free to users who pro-

vide most of the content and the website is

supported by an advertising business mod-

elrdquoand ldquoTripAdvisor Media Group operates

seventeen travel brandsrdquo

The site that many business owners hate

while many agree at the same time using it

to help them make their holiday choices

The Guardian sums up the situation quite

well in an article ldquoBarely a week goes by

without the restaurant industry and TripAd-

visor falling out Last week it was reported

that mischievous web-users had propelled a

fictitious venue to a top ranking in Brixham

reports followed this week about how it was

all a ruse to prove you can game the sys-

tem while despite vociferous objections

from its owner a Yorkshire restaurant had

numerous positive reviews removed after

TAs filters judged them suspicious Claims

and counter claims swirl around such sto-

ries most generating more heat than lightrdquo

The article sums up the situation quite well

too ldquoMe Im happy to go one better and

admit that in researching my budget eats

series for the Guardian I find TripAdvisor

invaluable As one of several research tools

(local contacts trawling guides blogs and

so on) it regularly points me towards excel-

lent cafes and restaurants that I would oth-

erwise have missed

TripAdvisor is very quick its very democrat-

ic and so particularly at that sub-pound10 price-

point its useful Of course places crop up

in any towns top 20 that are there because

said venue does an enormous carveryits

Nandosthe chef spends more time drum-

ming up online support than

cooking but to ignore TripAdvi-

sor would be peculiarly arrogant

and self-defeatingrdquo

So Trip Adviser is a necessary

and important part of a tourist

businesses marketing whether

you like it or not

As one commentator said ldquoLove

it or hate it no one in our indus-

try can afford to ignore Trip Advi-

sorrdquo

One restaurant owner of a very

good establishment in Highland

Perthshire told he that ldquoThe

restaurant standards around

here are generally of a

very good standardrdquo

adding ldquoIt was due in

some greater or lesser extent to

Trip Advisor you just can not ig-

nore itrdquo

So what should you as a business

owner do about Trip Advisor

Trip Adviser does have a page with

lsquoTop Tips for Dealing with Negative

reviews on Trip Advisorrsquo

Our suggestion is-

1 Monitor your TripAdvisor page You

can not expect all feedback to be

positive do NOT get upset when you

are criticised

2 Respond to all reviews both positive

and negative diplomatically and

with as much objectivity as you can

muster Remember try as it might

TripAdvisor cannot ensure all re-

views are from genuine customers

3 You can report reviews to TripAdvi-

sor you consider are false and

TripAdvisor does claim to investigate

and remove any that it believes are

suspicious This process can be

frustratingly ineffective as it is al-

most impossible to prove a review is

not genuine

Importantly remember with

TripAdvisor take everything you

read with a good pinch of salt

enjoy the positive reviews take

heed of the constructive criti-

cism and if you receive false

reviews be flattered as some

one sees you as a threat John

McEnroe said ldquoEverybody

loves success but they hate

successful peoplerdquo

Page 8 Explore Inverness Tourism Newsletter 2014

ldquoBarely a week goes by without the restaurant

industry and TripAdvisor falling outrdquo