Falkirk Case Study 14th/15 November 2015

Introduction Campaign Details

Five travel bloggers spent a weekend exploring the area in and around Falkirk, with the key objectives

being to use the Scotlanders’ international audience and social media influence to increase online

exposure for the destination and promote visits to the area.

Social Media

Using #VisitFalkirk, the group created awareness about the campaign prior to their visit and provided

real-time updates from their activities and experiences across a range of social media channel, namely

Twitter and Instagram. All channels were also utilised after the trip to continue sharing photographs

and blog articles about the trip.

Blog Themes

Each blogger was allocated a specific theme, to guarantee a variety of coverage for the campaign. The

agreed themes for the campaign were; Falkirk Attractions; Crafts and Industry; Heritage; Outdoors;

Active pursuits.

Testimonials Falkirk Council’s spokesperson for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, Councillor Adrian Mahoney said:

“It has been a pleasure to welcome The Scotlanders to the Falkirk area, and great to have such well

respected travel writers visit not only our most popular attractions, but also some of the many hidden

gems in the area.

“The opening of the Kelpies and Helix Park has been a very exciting time for Falkirk and indeed the

surrounding area, and visitor numbers to these and to the Falkirk Wheel have been at a record level

since they opened in 2014. The wider area however is steeped in history, with some truly iconic

treasures such as the baronial mansion 4 star Callendar House and the World Heritage UNESCO site

the Antonine Wall. It’s very easy to overlook some of the amazing attractions that are on your

doorstep, so it’s great to have The Scotlanders explore the area and profile Falkirk to a national and

indeed international audience.”

Testimonials Catherine Smith, General Manager, Premier Inn Falkirk said:

“We were delighted to play host to The Scotlanders during their recent visit, giving them a good central

base to fully explore Falkirk throughout their time in the area. It’s great to see Falkirk put firmly on the

map with the international reach The Scotlanders draw, and we very much enjoyed following their

journey through social media over the course of their visit.

“Falkirk continues to thrive; drawing visitors from all over Scotland, the UK and indeed around the

world to see some of the area’s iconic visitor attractions. Visit Falkirk and its partners are doing a great

job in developing Falkirk as one of the nation’s major tourist destinations, and we are delighted to be a

part of it.”

Social Media Results During the course of the weekend, the group posted 35 tweets between them, which received 356

retweets and 589 favourites. In turn, those tweets generated 4084 engagements and 87,342

impressions.

The 14 photographs shared on Instagram received 1213 likes.

Blog Posts Susanne Arbuckle (Adventures Around Scotland) - Exploring Falkirk's attractions on foot and by bike

http://www.adventuresaroundscotland.com/travel-blog/exploring-falkirks-attractions-on-foot-and-by-

bike

Neil Robertson (Locomotion Scotland) - A trip to Falkirk, home of The Kelpies

http://www.locomotionscotland.co.uk/visit-falkirk/

Kim Kjaerside (Kim Kjaerside Photography) - Visiting Falkirk, an adventures weekend!

https://kkjaersidephotography.wordpress.com/2015/11/26/visiting-falkirk-an-adventures-weekend/

Kay Gillespie (The Chaotic Scot) - Taking my taste buds straight to the source in Falkirk

http://www.thechaoticscot.com/taking-my-tastebuds-straight-to-the-source-in-falkirk/

Nicola Holland (FunkyEllas Travel) - Top 5 Ways To Discover Falkirk’s Fascinating Heritage

http://www.funkyellastravel.com/falkirk-heritage/

Photography

Photography

Photography

Participating Partners

Special thanks to all to all of the partners who hosted us over the weekend

Falkirk Central Premier Inn, The Milk Barn, Barbara Davidson Pottery, The

Kelpies, The Hippodrome Cinema, Behind the Wall, Falkirk Wheel, Kinneil

Brew House, Corbie Inn, Callendar House, Kinneil House and Museum,

Blackness Castle, Dunmore Pineapple, Falkirk Community Trust, Falkirk

Cycle Hub, Cloybank Estate, Xtreme Karting and Polmonthill Snowsports

Centre.