MEDIA TOURISM IN SCOTLAND
United Kingdom
Media tourism covers a variety of activities concerned with the popularising of places associated with stories in the form of literature, films, TV series and even computer games. It is estimated by the national tourism board, VisitScotland, that one in five tourists were inspired to visit Scotland after reading or watching content set in or featuring Scotland. The SPOT Aberdeen case studies were designed to explore this phenomenon through different media.
Case Study 1
Doune Castle is a medieval ruin in rural Scotland that has been featured in many film and television series, including Monty Python’s the Holy Grail and more recently the Outlander TV series. The popularisation of the castle is generated partly by active networks of fans who use social media to exchange information and photographs and to create communities of fellow followers. Our case study looked at the relationship between the large volumes of visitors visiting the castle for these reasons and the local community, which was not well equipped to receive large number of visitors and did not necessarily benefit from them. Working with Historic Scotland (caretakers of the castle and grounds) and the Doune Village Community Council and heritage centre, we explore the relationship between media tourism and Doune. From this partnership, we created a film and an online magazine highlighting the issues and explored some of the logistical challenges that arise with designing, and shaping, local tourism policies that is inclusive of the community itself.
Figure 1: Exterior of Doune Castle
Figure 2: Title page of 'Media Tourism in Doune' short film by ABDN SPOT Team
Case Study 2
Abbotsford House, located in the rural Scottish Borders was the home of Sir Walter Scott during the first half of the nineteenth century. Scott’s novels were widely read at the time and were responsible for creating the idea of a “romantic” Scotland featuring rebel Highlanders set in a mountainous and remote landscape. This later translated into other media such as Braveheart, Brave, Outlaw King, and Outlander. This earned Scott a place in the pantheon of significant Scottish figures, with his name being memorialised in statues, monuments and street signs throughout Scotland. Our case study looked at the significance of this legacy for modern visitors and the way in which Abbotsford House generated new contemporary streams of visitors as well as the way in which the Abbotsford Trust had generated links and attachments to the local community. We produced a film and a magazine to illustrate these issues.
Figure 3: Exterior of Abbotsford House
Figure 4: cover of SPOT ABDN stakeholder magazine
An outcome of this case study was that we did an additional survey of the newly built Visitor Centre to house a unique piece of community art The Great Tapestry of Scotland, which consists of 160 panels embroidered by communities all over Scotland telling the history of Scotland. Although relationships with the local community of Galashiels were at first problematic, our surveys and research indicated how a cultural attraction can also help to regenerate a former industrial town of Galashiels, close to Abbotsford House. The report and film from this case study will be available later this year.
Policy Brief:
Cultural Tourism from Local Stakeholder’s Perspective
Case Study Policy Brief for local policymakers on the Scottish Borders
Peer-reviewed articles:
Good practice: Abbotsford
Wallace, C, Chen, X, Garrison, S., and Shaddock, J. The impact of COVID-19 on cultural tourism. Introduction to Special Issue of Tourism, Culture and Communication https://doi.org/10.3727/109830422X16600594683508
Garrison, S. and Wallace, C. (2021) Media tourism and its role in sustaining Scotland’s tourism industry Sustainability 13 (11) 6305 https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116305
Garrison, S., Wallace, C., & Chen, X. (2022). MEDIA TOURISM AND COVID-19: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE SCOTTISH TOURISM INDUSTRY. Tourism Culture & Communication. https://doi.org/10.3727/109830422X16600594683373
