More than 90 tourism businesses from across East Lothian gathered at The Marine Hotel in North Berwick on Thursday 27th March for the Visit East Lothian “East Lothian Talks Tourism” Conference held as part of Scottish Tourism Month 2025.
Hosted by Marc Crothall MBE, Chief Executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, the half-day conference offered a valuable opportunity for local tourism professionals to hear the latest insights, data, and strategic thinking driving the industry forward.
Speakers included Duncan Stewart of 56 Degree Insight, who shared key findings from the recent East Lothian Visitor Survey, and Richard Macdonald of Global Tourism Solutions, who explored the economic impact of tourism in the region.
Attendees were also inspired by Professor Xavier Font from the University of Surrey, who discussed meaningful approaches to sustainability, and Shaon Talukder, CEO of GeoTourist, who showcased digital storytelling to boost visitor engagement.
VisitScotland’s Neil Christison highlighted the ongoing collaboration between VisitScotland and Visit East Lothian and gave some examples of current partnership activity.
The event concluded with an insightful panel discussion and audience Q&A.
The visitor economy is an important sector in East Lothian generating 2.98m visitor days, an economic impact of £379mand employing a workforce of 4626 (STEAM 2024). The county’s DMMO (destination, marketing and management organisation) Visit East Lothian is delivered by the Council’s Economic Development Team and plays a key part in ensuring that tourism continues to thrive in East Lothian.
