Visitscotland.com
Encyclopedia
VisitScotland.com is the trading name of eTourism Ltd, a private limited company set up by a public-private partnership
in 2002. It is currently jointly owned by VisitScotland
(Scotland's national tourist board), Tiscover, Partnerships UK
Ltd, and Atos Origin
, though as of December 2008, ownership is soon expected to transfer solely to VisitScotland.
VisitScotland.com operates a bookings and information service for visitors to Scotland. Accommodation availability information, as well as more general information about Scotland, is provided over the world wide web via the www.visitscotland.com domain and by telephone via the National Booking and Information Centre. Information is also made available to 120 Tourist Information Centres networked across the country.
VisitScotland.com claims that its web site receives 5 million unique users each year, making it the country's most comprehensive source of bookings and information on Scotland.
to return the group to public ownership, arguing that the use of public money to fund the parent company eTourism Ltd was disrupting competition, an assertion which eTourism unconditionally rejected.
On November 7, 2008, it was announced that ownership of VisitScotland.com was to be transferred solely to VisitScotland, with public funds totalling £1.2 million being used to purchase shares from all other shareholders. This move was described as a "bail-out" by The Scotsman newspaper. VisitScotland.com denied that the deal was made because of financial difficulties, instead claiming logistic reasons were behind the decision.
Despite the change of ownership, VisitScotland.com is to remain an independently-operated private company. No changes to the business model have been announced.
Public-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
in 2002. It is currently jointly owned by VisitScotland
VisitScotland
VisitScotland is Scotland's national tourism agency. It is a public body, with offices in Edinburgh, Inverness, London as well as other parts of Scotland...
(Scotland's national tourist board), Tiscover, Partnerships UK
Partnerships UK
Parnerships UK was an organisation responsible for furthering public-private partnerships in the United Kingdom.-Origins:In July 1997 a private finance initiative taskforce was established within the Treasury to provide central co-ordination for the roll-out of PFI...
Ltd, and Atos Origin
Atos Origin
Atos S.A. is an international information technology corporation which operates in 42 countries worldwide, with over 78,500 employees...
, though as of December 2008, ownership is soon expected to transfer solely to VisitScotland.
VisitScotland.com operates a bookings and information service for visitors to Scotland. Accommodation availability information, as well as more general information about Scotland, is provided over the world wide web via the www.visitscotland.com domain and by telephone via the National Booking and Information Centre. Information is also made available to 120 Tourist Information Centres networked across the country.
VisitScotland.com claims that its web site receives 5 million unique users each year, making it the country's most comprehensive source of bookings and information on Scotland.
Ownership debate
VisitScotland.com was initially a jointly owned company, with shareholders including Atos Orign, Tiscover, and Partnerships UK Ltd, as well as VisitScotland itself. This quickly became a divisive issue with many in the Scottish tourism industry. A number of accommodation providers, particularly those outwith the main cities, lodged a petition with the Scottish ParliamentScottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
to return the group to public ownership, arguing that the use of public money to fund the parent company eTourism Ltd was disrupting competition, an assertion which eTourism unconditionally rejected.
On November 7, 2008, it was announced that ownership of VisitScotland.com was to be transferred solely to VisitScotland, with public funds totalling £1.2 million being used to purchase shares from all other shareholders. This move was described as a "bail-out" by The Scotsman newspaper. VisitScotland.com denied that the deal was made because of financial difficulties, instead claiming logistic reasons were behind the decision.
Despite the change of ownership, VisitScotland.com is to remain an independently-operated private company. No changes to the business model have been announced.
External links
- About VisitScotland.com
- Petition to return VisitScotland.com to the public sector
- National tourism website is handed £1.2m bail-out, The Scotsman, 07 November 2008