Inspirational ideas for group days out and holidays

VisitScotland and National Museums Scotland have teamed up for the national tourism organisation’s £3.5m domestic marketing campaign, Surprise Yourself.

The partnership, which has been running since the end of August, has already seen nearly a million people from across the United Kingdom and Ireland view partnership information through joint marketing materials and the Surprise Yourself website, with millions more people expected to see further information over the coming months.

This agreement forms a key part of VisitScotland’s campaign designed to appeal the country’s burgeoning staycation market which last year was worth more than a £1bn to the Scottish economy.

The National Museum of Scotland has welcomed over 700,000 visitors since it re-opened at the end of July following a £47.4m refurbishment. With 16 new galleries featuring 8,000 objects from all over the world, 80% of which have not been on display before. Many of these objects are likely to surprise visitors, none more so than in the Tibetan Prayer Wheelhouse in the World Cultures galleries which was actually made in the Kagyu Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in southern Scotland - the turning of the wheel develops compassion.

Jane Ferguson, head of marketing and communications, National Museums Scotland, said: “The transformed National Museum of Scotland is a significant new cultural attraction for visitors to Edinburgh and to Scotland. The Museum tells the story of Scotland and also of our place in the wider world. It really does offer you the chance to surprise yourself at every turn, be it marvelling at amazing objects, discovering untold stories or getting up close to treasures of the world and nature. As such we are delighted to partner VisitScotland in this campaign.”

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, said: “Anyone who steps inside the magnificently refurbished museum will immediately be struck by the fantastic experience on offer. The partnership between VisitScotland and The National Museum of Scotland as part of our Surprise Yourself campaign will give the chance for millions of people to be inspired to see one of Scotland’s newest and best visitor attractions.”

To view the National Museum of Scotland page on VisitScotland’s Surprise Yourself website, please go to: www.visitscotland.com/surpriseyourself.

Source: Visit Scotland