Friday September 12th 2025
Scottish Borders Council headquarters
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A spokesperson for one of the Borders top visitor attractions has heaped praise on Scotland’s national tourism organisation after it came under fierce fire at a recent council meeting.
VisitScotland’s website has a ‘Top Things in Scotland’ list featuring 20 tourism attractions – none of which are in the Scottish Borders.
This angered Councillor Elaine Thornton-Nicol, SNP leader on Scottish Borders Council, who said she was “beyond disappointed” at the omission.
The Selkirkshire councillor was particularly disappointed that the award-winning Great Tapestry of Scotland in Galashiels had not been recognised.
VisitScotland responded by clarifying that the website merely listed the ‘most visited’ attractions in the country – of which 11 were in Edinburgh – and that it was in no way a slight towards the region’s cultural venues.
Meanwhile, Borders tourism businesses are being urged to sign up for VisitScotland’s Connect 2026, to be staged in Glasgow next year.
The Great Tapestry of Scotland is one of the organisations set to take part in the event at the Scottish Events Campus next April, after this year’s gathering in Aberdeen gave the museum access to a “global audience”.
New figures show that this year’s event, which was attended by almost 250 tourism businesses and over 270 travel intermediaries, resulted in bookings worth an estimated £8.6 million to Scotland.
Callum Black, marketing and events officer at The Great Tapestry of Scotland, praised VisitScotland’s positive impact on the venue’s national and international reach.
He said: “VisitScotland Connect offers tourism businesses like the Great Tapestry of Scotland a valuable platform to build new and strengthen existing industry relationships through meaningful, face-to-face engagement.
“We had focused conversations with new domestic and international operators, including some promising new connections in the North American and Asian markets.
“The immediate interest and follow-ups we’ve seen since the event have been really encouraging. I would highly recommend VisitScotland Connect to any tourism business looking to grow their reach and create lasting industry partnerships.”
David Hope-Jones, chief executive of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance, said: “The energy at this year’s VisitScotland Connect was extraordinary. With over 80 meetings with international buyers, the South of Scotland truly shone. And the response was phenomenal: buyers were actively seeking us out, telling us that we were the region they most wanted to connect with.
“From rich heritage and history to literary experiences and breathtaking landscapes, it’s clear we offer exactly what the future global travellers are looking for.
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