Scotland “welcomes the world”

2014 has been marked out as the year that Scotland “welcomes the world” – when the very best of Scottish culture, food and sport will be highlighted on the world stage for the festival that is ‘Homecoming’.

In a recent Government debate on this very subject I felt the discussion would not have satisfactorily represented the great draw of tourists to Scotland if it did not include the spectacular that is the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival in Portsoy.

Move over the Ryder Cup, the Commonwealth Games and the MTV Europe Music Awards – Portsoy has a special something that attracts visitors the world over – an abundance of community spirit.

It is this wealth of tenacity and determination that saw volunteers start this annual feature from nothing more than a few hundred visitors 21 years ago, to the roaring success that it is today – pulling in around 20,000 sightseers from every corner of the globe, including Australia, South Africa and the USA, and raising the profile of Scotland, and indeed the North East.

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2014 guide has named Scotland as the third best country to visit in 2014 behind Brazil and Antarctica, and no wonder with features such as the Traditional Boat Festival. Taking place from 27-29 June, it includes a huge variety of cultural events, including music from Celtic Connections award winners RURA who are just one group from an ever eclectic mix of talent that also includes Danish duo Rasmus and Alexander Nielsen of ‘Almost Iris’ and lively Norwegian choir Slogmaakane, also known as the Greedy Seagulls. Uniquely the festival also holds a variety of sailing events and craft workshops.

For a rural community such as Portsoy, this festival is a fantastic event for the area, driving a huge economic boom for local business, and boosting the population which only just makes it into four figures for the rest of the year. For the remaining 11 months of the year, the festival is the subject of enraptured conversation highlighting the enthusiasm of the volunteers that bring their ideas together and make the magic happen.

This year, the town is like a Scotland in miniature – attracting visitors from all over the world to experience what it has to offer. The food and drink sector accounts for 18 per cent of Scotland’s overseas exports and is worth £4.8 billion to the Scottish economy, with an annual turnover of £11.9 billion. Whisky Month, as part of the Homecoming celebrations is just one example of how this industry has become an inherent part of Scottish culture.

One of the local success stories in the Portsoy area is Glenglassaugh distillery. Founded in 1875, the distillery to the east of Sandend Bay soon developed a reputation for a making quality whisky. After closing in 1907, it was brought back to life 100 years later in 2008, now producing malts that can be found in over 20 countries in Africa, Australasia, Asia, Europe and North America.

It is hoped that Homecoming 2014 will follow the success of Homecoming 2009, which delivered more than £53.7m to the economy, and with events like Portsoy’s Traditional Boat Festival and the success of the industries round about, it’s easy to see why.