Kentucky gets more booze Visitors than Scotland, in spite of being a much smaller population than Scotland AND having less Distilleries.
Ireland's Whiskey Tourism drive ALSO outperforms Scotland. It's tiny, in comparison with Scotch.
Tequila Tourism in Mexico has Books, Websites, Trains. It also has properly-funded, Government involvement.
Meanwhile, in Scotland, it's a hopeless, really embarrassing state of affairs. It's all about 'the brands', Scotland doesn't individually capitalise on being the World's best Whisky Country.
Many think it already does but you have to think, Scotch is drink named after a Country. It should have unique Training, a Website, Books, Apps, a Network, all funded and benefitting Scotland, not people in Hong Kong.
Scotland has NOTHING as well-funded as Kentucky. When it comes to funding Scotch Whisky Tourism, Scotland doesn't.
Scotch is a heavily (some say, ridiculously) Taxed, UK cashcow. It's not one that benefits Scotland properly.
If you look at the Scotch Whisky Association and Visitscotland's all-over-the shop-Tourism drive, it's laughably amateur and hopelessly under-funded. Nobody is in charge.
As the link below shows, its really easy to promote an Iconic Booze Tourism product.
With lots of money. That's how.
The Scottish Government needs a Scotch Whisky Tourism Budget and Policy, immediately.
As Financial results and burgeoning world markets show, we can't just leave it up to the Producers who can (and do) make 'Whisky' anywhere, even though this would need to be the starting point. It needs to be a combined initiative for Scotland, THEN for 'The Industry'.
There ALREADY are examples of Big Distillery Players coming together to improve things. There already are several joint initiatives.
What's a few £million, to £multi billion Corporations? Some, the Corporations of the Richest people in the World.
#ScotchWhiskyTruths
#TheScottishGovernment
#ScotchWhiskyAssociation
#VisitScotland
