Courier Country is gearing up to sell itself as a tourist destination to more than 500 global travel agents and tour operators.
Representatives from Dundee, Perth, Fife and Angus are to attend VisitScotland expo at the AECC in Aberdeen on Wednesday and Thursday.
More than £24 million worth of business is likely to be conducted over the two days, with up to 200 businesses helping promote Scotland’s tourism product.
VisitScotland regional partnership director Jim Clarkson said: “VisitScotland expo is a highlight of the travel trade calendar, offering a golden opportunity for Scottish tourism businesses to inspire tour operators to make a stop with them in the future.
“From adventure tourism and ancient monuments to gaming and golf, Tayside and Fife has a fascinating and diverse tourism offering which is sure to delight visitors of all ages,
“As we head towards the 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design and the opening of the stunning V&A Museum of Design Dundee in 2018, Dundee, Angus, Perthshire and Fife are on the brink of a tourism transformation.
“As such, it is incredibly important that we use events like VisitScotland expo to position the east of Scotland as the key destination in the celebration of Scotland’s pioneering past, present and future,” he said.
This year, Perth and Kinross Council is working with 12 stand partners to help promote the region as a travel destination.
It forms part of the local authority’s drive to raise the profile of Perth City to coach operators.
With the Open in St Andrews this summer and Fife winning “best outdoor destination” for the eighth year in a row, the region will be looking to promote its numerous attractions, local food and drink and outdoor activities to the world’s travel trade.
As 2015 marks the Year of Food and Drink, the Fife stand will be toasting the wide range of culinary delights on offer with exhibits from the newly-opened Kingsbarns Distillery, Scotland’s only chilli farm, award-winning cheeses and locally-reared meats.
Dundee will be showing off its design credentials as Young Scottish Designer of the Year Hayley Scanlan uses the show to preview her new HS ‘diffusion’ collection.
Her appearance at expo demonstrates just one of the many reasons Dundee was recently named a Unesco City of Design and will be the home of V&A Dundee in the coming years.
It is hoped using examples of the city’s creative offering will help entice buyers to promote Dundee as a key destination for visitors during the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design 2016.
In a first for expo, VisitAngus has teamed up with Dundee company Augmentic Visualisations to use the latest in virtual reality technology to take people on a tour of the area without leaving the room.
Buyers will don a special 3D gaming headset to virtually visit renowned attractions like Glamis Castle, Arbroath Abbey, Carnoustie Golf Course and the Angus glens.