More than 90 tourism businesses from across East Lothian gathered at The Marine Hotel in North Berwick on Thursday 27 March for the Visit East Lothian "East Lothian Talks Tourism" Conference. The event formed part of Scottish Tourism Month 2025.
Marc Crothall MBE, Chief Executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, hosted the half-day conference. As a result, local tourism professionals had the opportunity to hear the latest industry insights, research findings and strategic updates.
Duncan Stewart of 56 Degree Insight shared key findings from the recent East Lothian Visitor Survey. In addition, Richard Macdonald of Global Tourism Solutions explored the economic impact of tourism across the region.
Attendees also heard from Professor Xavier Font of the University of Surrey. He outlined practical and meaningful approaches to sustainability within the tourism sector. Meanwhile, Shaon Talukder, CEO of GeoTourist, demonstrated how digital storytelling can enhance visitor engagement and enrich the visitor experience.
Furthermore, VisitScotland's Neil Christison highlighted the strong partnership between VisitScotland and Visit East Lothian. He also shared examples of current collaborative activity and marketing initiatives.
The conference concluded with an insightful panel discussion, followed by a lively audience question-and-answer session.
The event provided an important opportunity for businesses to network, share ideas and learn from industry experts. Ultimately, it reinforced the value of collaboration in supporting a sustainable and successful visitor economy across East Lothian.
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