REVIEW: Fantastic Creatures of Edinburgh and Where to Find Them! | Edinburgh Treasure Hunts

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Tourism

Aug 6-30 | Varied Times | Edinburgh Treasure Hunts | Get Tickets for the Tour which is on all year round!

With Edinburgh like a home from home for me, I am constantly looking for new experiences to remind me about the beauty of this city and see it through fresh eyes, which is exactly what this Treasure Hunt did!

This experience involves reading a map and navigating the streets of Old Town, a great way for tourists to learn the ins and outs of the city and get their bearings, to try and spot things which may otherwise go unnoticed.

I loved it! Never before have I spent so much time looking up trying to solve puzzles and take in the intricate details the city holds. And I have certainly not noticed just how many griffins feature in the stonework of different buildings!

Edinburgh Treasure Hunts not only offers a Fantastic Beasts tour, but it also has a Secret Sherlock Challenge and A Pirate’s Riddle to solve!

A unique twist on a ‘normal’ tour done which is very cleverly compiled and executed.

 

The Arts Business Top Tips:

  • Is there a way you can put a unique twist on a product or service to make it stand out in an already saturated market? There are so many tours available in Edinburgh, but this one has managed to sell out the Edinburgh Fringe which is a simply astonishing achievement! So, if you work in an already thriving industry think about a simple detail that could make your offering different and (especially in the case of this tour) wildly saleable.

The Evolution of Scottish Tourism

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Marketing, Museums, Publicity

The National Museum of Scotland boasts exhibits from all over the world including the only place you can see an Ancient Mummy outside of Egypt, limestone sculptures from Ancient Assyria and a dodo from Mauritius.  But what was one of the major complaints I received from tourists back when I worked as an Edinburgh Tour Guide?  It isn’t Scottish enough!

 

Crazy, right?!

 

So, what does the National Museum of Scotland do to combat this?  Well every couple of years, over the summer, which is peak season for tourism, they put on an exhibition that is all about Scotland.

 

And this year they have really hit the nail on the head with their latest paid entry exhibition: ‘Wild and Majestic’ which is about the history of the Scottish tourism industry.

 

It explores how the Romantic Movement during the 18th and 19th century, including poets like Wordsworth or Byron and painters like Knox, captured the imaginations of the world and so the idealised depiction of Scotland was born.

 

Through both artistic perception and real artefacts, the National Museum of Scotland differentiates between what the real Scotland is and the glamorised vision spread worldwide throughout history.  In particular, it explores the monarchy of the UK focusing on both George IV’s royal visit and Queen Victoria’s fascination with the Highlands leading to her eventual purchase of Balmoral castle.

 

The development of Balmoral gives an interesting insight into the overall development of Scotland to keep up with the surge of tourism.  The rural area, which had been untouched for centuries, was now being – somewhat begrudgingly- taken over by the upper classes.  This led to the development of the travel networks and buildings all over the Highlands.  It tells us that in order to preserve the history that attracts visitors, we must also be prepared to evolve.

 

Another brilliant move the National Museum of Scotland has made is to pair up with Sabhal Mòr Ostaig College on Skye, which is part of the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).  Together they wrote copy and content for the displays which were then translated into Gaelic as well as discussing the impact that the language and culture have had on Scotland’s evolution.  This aspect will not only encourage those from the North to experience the Museum but should also appeal to specialist societies and charities looking to preserve this ancient language.

 

In short, the travellers who come to Edinburgh can see their perfect and stereotyped vision of Scotland: everything from Tartan to Bagpipes, whereas the locals can see how Scotland was (and still is) essentially rebranded for the sake of the tourism industry.  An insightful way to make the exhibition accessible to all.