Anne Kinnes, chief executive at The Black Watch Museum in Perth, believes that offering authentic experiences can help tourism thrive.
Speaking at the start of Scottish Tourism Week, she said it was invaluable to have staff with a personal connection to the heritage attraction. Such employees with the ability to relate what they have seen and done in an engaging fashion enhance the visitor experience.
“In Scotland we have the amazing natural environment, but it helps so much if we can offer more,” she said. “I’m talking about the ability to offer real connectivity with the experience being enjoyed and that vital extra element can be the staff.
“At The Black Watch Museum in Perth we are fortunate in having Black Watch veterans who served all over the world.
“They can relive their experiences with events the visitors are seeing, and this brings so much more to the occasion. These staff members and volunteers can say ‘I was there’ or ‘I used that’ or ‘This is what we did’.
“It was the same in my previous role with Morrison Bowmore Distillers. At Bowmore distillery on Islay there is a master distiller, Eddie McCaffer, who as a 16-year-old apprentice remembers a cask being filled.
“He is now there as it is being bottled as a prized 44-year-old whisky. That is a precious extra ingredient to be able to add to the experience.
“It delivers the ‘wow’ factor to visitors when they hear him explain this, and is the type of authentic experience that can help the tourism industry to prosper.”
Anne started her career in Yorkshire in management roles including at a Michelin star restaurant and a luxury hotel.
She moved to Scotland and for eight years she was at Scotland’s Larder in Upper Largo.
Anne then became chairman of Fife Visitor Attractions, leading to her working with Visit Scotland as strategic development manager and business product manager.
In 2010 Morrison Bowmore Distillers appointed her as visitor centre operations and development manager, and she oversaw an increase in visitor numbers and income across all three distilleries.
In January she became chief executive of The Black Watch Museum Trust at Balhousie Castle.
Scottish Tourism Week is focusing on improving the perception of an industry which supports more than 292,000 jobs, or 10.9% of the workforce.
It has been organised by the Scottish Tourism Alliance the industry leadership group for tourism, which comprises more than 250 trade associations, businesses, destination groups and other organisations.