Influencers will help Highland hidden gems shine with project in Inverness
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THE power of social media will be harnessed to highlight the Highlands’ “hidden gems” in a new initiative to show travellers a different side of the region.
The Inverness Influencer Lodge Project will bring around a dozen online influencers from the UK and Europe together in the luxury River Lodge on the banks of the River Ness, which they will be able to use as a base to explore the area.
During their stay over two separate weeks in March and June next year, they will create digital content which will be shared across social media platforms and will then be available to the almost 400 members of VisitInvernessLochNess (VILN), Scotland’s first tourism Business Improvement District (BID), to share across their own channels.
VILN is leading the project, which is the first of its kind in Scotland, with the support of a £21,500 investment from VisitScotland.
The project is inspired by the highly successful “BlogVille” project in Northern Italy, which over four years hosted 180 bloggers from five continents, reaching more than 18 million people across a variety of online platforms.
VILN chief executive Graeme Ambrose said: “This has been driven by the understanding that we need to encourage people to stay longer and spend more, and doing that by using influencers to highlight the lesser known places in our destination – the hidden gems – so when visitors come, they are not just visiting Urquhart Castle, but maybe spending time on the southside or finding out about Beauly.
“It’s not so much about attracting more visitors, it’s about making the destination more sustainable by getting those who come to stay here longer.”
VisitScotland’s regional leadership director Chris Taylor added: “The Inverness Influencer Lodge is an exciting new campaign which will ensure the benefits of tourism are felt across the Inverness and Loch Ness area throughout the year.
“At VisitScotland we want to spearhead digital innovation that promotes local areas so I’m thrilled we were able to support this project.”
