- ‘Paws for a Break’ campaign awarded £20,000 by VisitScotland
- Research found holidays with pets had higher average spend
- Aims to target the ‘pound hound’
- Bring your horse on holiday and sing the Rubber Bandits’ famous song
The Association of Scotland’s Self Caterers’ digital marketing campaign has been given a funding boost of €23,000 by VisitScotland.
They are inviting guests to post pictures of their pets on holiday, and members to share their ‘pet guest’ stories, on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (using the tag @embracescotland or the hashtag #pawsforabreak). The Facebook page is being updated with pet-revelvant news, so that you can find out which distillery will allow you to drink with your dog, or how to go kayaking with them. Radio advertising is also being run in North West England for the campaign, and they will have a stand at the Family Pet Show in Manchester, whose organizers are predicting 15,000 visitors over two days. ASSC are also holding a competition in conjunction with The Co-Operative Group with a pet-friendly holiday in Scotland as the prize.
VisitScotland says that almost a third of holiday makers will choose a holiday according to how suitable it is for their pet. 72pc of dog owners say that they would take more holidays in the UK if there was a ‘better attitude towards’ their dogs.
The ASSC’s members can showcase their self-catering properties on the ASSC’s website, Embrace Scotland, and 7,000 are featured currently. More than half of their members accept pets, including some cottages that accept horses and have stables available. The website allows you to search only pet-frendly accommodation.
Linda Battison, Executive Committee Member at the ASSC, said: “Many members already provide a warm welcome to pet owners but we want to encourage them to go that extra mile and ensure potential customers know what they offer. Our Paws for a Break self-catering awards will be open for nominations via our Embrace Scotland website and our members site and we’ll be encouraging members to sign up to our new Pets Welcome charter.”
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “VisitScotland’s Growth Fund supports collaborative tourism marketing projects that focus on growth in the tourism sector and ensure that visitors experience the true Spirit of Scotland. Pet tourism could be worth millions of pounds to Scotland’s visitor economy so we are delighted to help the ASSC as they attempt to unlock this potentially lucrative market through the VisitScotland Growth Fund. The group’s Paws for a Break campaign is an exciting and innovative way to appeal to those looking to enjoy a holiday with their four-legged friends.”
Pictured: Daisy Butcher and her dog Scrabble.
