VisitScotland.com defends its loss
VisitScotland.com, the website selling accommodation in the country, has posted losses of over £2 million for the past year.
But business development director, Philip Chalmers defended the company saying that the website was expected to make a loss in its initial years because it is a new venture and that in fact it is ahead of expectations. Mr Chalmers told TravelMole that he hopes to get into the black in the next two years.
VisitScotland.com is run by a private firm called Etourism.com, which licensed the name from the tourist board.
It raises revenues by taking the 10% deposit paid by holidaymakers that book using the site. In the first few months of launch VisitScotland.com experienced difficulties when B&B owners boycotted the website because they didn’t want to pay the commission.
However, Mr Chalmers told TravelMole that this was down to confusion on the part of accommodation owners who thought the site was operated by the tourist board, an organisation that they already pay to be a member of.
Losses for VisitScotland.com reached £2.3 million for the year, compared to £1.2 million the previous year. Mr Chalmers says he expects a smaller loss next year, then hopes to start breaking even after that.
Report by Ginny McGrath
Ginny McGrath
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025