Tourism campaign turns spotlight on Scotland’s islands

Orkney is featuring in a VisitScotland campaign which will give eight thousand people the chance to enjoy a free return trip to one of 23 islands in Scotland.

The new campaign at www.visitscotland.com/brilliantislands runs until March 25, and offers free passenger tickets on NorthLink and Caledonian MacBrayne routes. There will be a draw each week, with 4,000 winners receiving one pair of foot passenger tickets for their chosen route.

In 2014, 63,000 people from the UK entered the Brilliant Island Moments prize draw, with around one in ten requests made to visit Orkney (6,204). It is expected the county will, once again, be a popular choice for visitors during 2015 — the Year of Food and Drink.

According to VisitScotland, more than half of visitors to Orkney try local food (54 per cent) and a recent survey revealed that 90 per cent of visitors were either very or fairly satisfied with the quality of local food and drink products.

As well as being highlighted on VisitScotland’s TV advert, Brilliant Island Moments will also be promoted via a mix of press, radio, online and social media.