VISITSCOTLAND ANNOUNCES CANCELLATION OF EXPO
Attendee cancellations due to Coronavirus results in
Scotland’s premier travel trade event not going ahead
Due to a significant number of cancellations caused by Coronavirus (Covid-19) it is with regret that VisitScotland has decided to cancel this year’s VisitScotland Expo that was due to take place on 1 and 2 April at P&J Live in Aberdeen.
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “As a major international event, with over 2,000 attendees from around 30 countries, this decision was not taken lightly, as Expo was on course to be a great success at a brand new and exciting venue, so we are disappointed for all the buyers, exhibitors and staff.
“We have been monitoring the situation for some time but it is clear that we are already seeing significant cancellations from key countries, as well as concerned enquiries about the event and hesitancy from attendees to travel. With the number of cases of Coronavirus increasing across the world, we did not want to contribute to its potential spread across Scotland and beyond.
“We will continue to connect buyers and the tourism industry and are currently developing ideas about how we can use technology and digital channels to make those connections – but we won’t be able to physically run the event this year. We are already looking at how we can further support the tourism industry going forward and will continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis.
“We will make an announcement regarding next year’s Expo in the near future.”
The news comes just hours after it was announced that the British Tourism and Travel Show (BTTS) due to take place at the NEC in just two weeks time was moved back until Thursday and Friday 11&12th June.
