Fiona Drane Marketing

19/06/2026

My son is at the World Cup.

Since he was 17, he has followed Scotland all over the world. Armenia. Germany. Now Boston.

As his mum, I’ve watched this passion grow into something much bigger than football.

Scotland away trips have given him friendships, memories and a group of people who have become like family.

People he looks out for.

People who look out for him.

And I’m so proud of the Scottish fans too. They bring colour, humour, warmth and pride wherever they go. They fill bars, restaurants and hotels, create atmosphere and leave people with a lasting impression of Scotland.

Football is the reason they met.

But it has become so much more than football.

One passion. One dream. The Scotland national team.

As a mum, watching that journey has been very special.

13/06/2026

A thought from Lorraine Kelly at the Borders Book Festival.

You can be all smiles in front of the camera.

But who you really are is shown by how you treat people behind the scenes.

The people who can do nothing for you.

The people doing the unseen work.

The people who help make things happen.

Character shows up in the small moments.

02/06/2026

Welcome to Fiona Drane Tourism Strategy. I am a tourism strategy consultant working with accommodation providers, tourism businesses, destinations, and community-led projects across Scotland. My work includes feasibility studies, tourism marketing plans and strategies, business plans, positioning, pricing and visitor experience. I am most active on LinkedIn and Instagram, but this page remains as a place to find updates and contact details.

01/06/2026

Volunteers are at the heart of so much of Scotland’s community tourism.

Through my work with SCOTO, I see again and again how much local people give not only their time, but their knowledge, welcome, enthusiasm and pride in where they live.

Community tourism works best when it involves local people and reflects the places they know so well. Volunteers often play a huge part in making that happen, whether through events, visitor welcome, storytelling, local projects, heritage, nature, or simply being the people who help keep things going.

So Volunteers’ Week feels like a good moment to say thank you to everyone across Scotland who supports tourism in their own community.

Your contribution matters — to visitors, to local places, and to the future of community-led tourism in Scotland.

🌟 It's Volunteers' Week!

Volunteers' Week is back from 1–7 June, celebrating the incredible people who give their time, skills and energy to their community.

Community tourism across Scotland simply wouldn't happen without the dedication of countless volunteers. From running community organisations and events to welcoming visitors and sharing local stories - their time gives visitors a wonderful experince of Scotland while supporting their local community. We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in community tourism who gives their time to help their community. 💚

Find out more about Volunteers' Week at: www.volunteersweek.org

We'd also like to thank.... the student volunteers from Glasgow School for Business and Society, GCU Scotland, who supported us at the March SCOTO Gathering 2026. Your enthusiasm and friendly faces helped make the event a success. We’re very grateful for your support! 🙌 We hope your studies in International Tourism & Event Management have been successful.



Glasgow Caledonian University RuralDimensions

25/05/2026

Today is the final day of voting in the Female Founder Awards Scotland 2026 and I wanted to simply say thank you to everyone who has supported me so far. Voting closes today.

Being nominated has genuinely meant a lot.

Over the last year I’ve taken a big step in repositioning my business around tourism strategy, rural tourism and community tourism work across Scotland.

Much of my work happens quietly behind the scenes:
• helping rural businesses plan for the future.
• supporting tourism projects and visitor attractions.
• developing feasibility studies and marketing strategies.
• working with businesses and communities across rural Scotland.

After more than 30 years working in tourism, I still care deeply about helping rural Scotland remain a place where people can live, work and build successful businesses. Not just somewhere people visit.

And thank you again to everyone who has encouraged, recommended and supported me along the way. It genuinely means more than you probably realise.

22/05/2026

Really interesting to see the ambition behind the proposed Scottish emigration and diaspora attraction planned for Stranraer.

The comparisons with Titanic Belfast and the V&A Dundee show the scale of thinking behind the idea.

For me, what matters most is not simply the attraction itself, but what projects like this can potentially do for confidence, regeneration and wider tourism development across the South of Scotland.

Having worked on another major tourism development project in the South of Scotland myself, I know these things take years of partnership working, persistence and community support to move forward. They are never easy.

But the South of Scotland needs ambitious projects which think beyond the short term and help raise the region’s profile nationally and internationally.

Will be very interesting to see how this develops over the coming years.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce9p4vjgr23o

A new attraction telling the story of Scottish emigration is planned for the south-west town.

18/05/2026

Since 2023, SCOTO has delivered 60 Press Pause® workshops supporting over 82 communities throughout Scotland and an additional 3 workshops and 3 communities in Yorkshire.

Do you feel tourism simply happens to your community? Could tourism help your community become an even better place to live, work and visit?
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The SCOTO Press Pause® facilitated workshop and action plan initiative brings business and community interests together to consider what’s working, what’s not working and what could be done better/differently in your community.

Through ARIA funding, a recent Press Pause® workshop took place in West Kilbride, North Ayrshire — here’s what one of the participants Janet Martin had to say:



Craft Town Scotland RuralDimensions

12/05/2026

Some tourism campaigns stay with you long after they finish.

When I first started out in tourism, one of the campaigns I loved was Scotland’s For Me.

Later in the 2000’s was the Touchstone campaign.

I always loved the idea behind it. That a simple pebble or object could instantly take you back to a place, a moment or a feeling. Or by touching places when visiting like a headstone there was a greater connection. It reminded you to stop and think where you were. What was there now and what had been before.

On Saturday, walking along a pebble beach outside Lochranza on Arran, I picked up this white stone. Which I think is beautiful and very tactical.

And I thought about those campaigns again.

Because the best tourism marketing isn’t really about slogans or advertising.

It’s about memory.
Emotion.
Connection to place.

The holidays and destinations we remember most are usually the ones that made us feel something.

And perhaps that’s still the real challenge for tourism today.

Not just getting visitors somewhere.
But creating experiences they carry home with them emotionally afterwards.

I’d love to know. What tourism campaign has stayed with you over the years and why?

28/04/2026

Rising costs and changing demand are starting to show in tourism.

People are still travelling—but they’re making decisions differently:
Thinking more about value.
Booking later.
More selective about where they stay.

I am seeing it across the market just now.

There is an opportunity in this, particularly for UK tourism. But it isn’t as simple as “more demand”. It’s a more considered customer.

For businesses, this is where it matters.

Not more activity.
But clearer thinking around:

Who are you targeting?
How you’re positioned.
What you’re charging.

If you’re looking ahead and unsure how this affects your business, it’s worth taking a step back and reviewing it carefully.

That’s exactly what I’m working on with clients just now. My blog on the topic in the comments.

25/04/2026

Happy birthday SCOTO

Happy Community Tourism Day and a very Happy Birthday to SCOTO! 🥳

The South of Scotland boasts a vibrant ecosystem of community-led tourism organisations. Through the collaborative strength of the SCOTO network, these groups continue to thrive, and the SSDA is proud to support and partner with so many of them.

Today’s visitors are increasingly seeking authentic, immersive experiences and opportunities to make a positive impact. By choosing to support our local SCOTO businesses, visitors can directly contribute to the places they love.

All Roads Lead to Whithorn New Town Hall Bunkhouse Hike & Bike Hub, Galashiels SCIO SC 051989 The Trimontium Trust & Museum A' the Airts Community Arts Centre Glentrool Hive Paxton House Go Wild Scotland Shambellie House