Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Accepted
Paragraph: 17
Scotland's international brand requires balancing traditional attributes with modern strengths.
Conclusion
Scotland benefits from having a distinctive brand identity which is an advantage on the international stage. For many, “traditional” attributes of the Scottish brand such as tartan, golf and its history are still resonant. These remain important hooks for creating interest in or drawing international visitors to Scotland. However, the challenge today is to ensure that Scotland’s current international profile reflects modern Scotland and its strengths—for example, its scientific research, or space and renewable energy sectors, in which it is world leading. We heard that traditional Scottish celebration dates such as Burns Night and St Andrew’s Day are obvious starting points to profile Scotland’s strengths which could be employed more consistently across the UK’s global network.
Government Response Summary
The government describes its existing efforts to promote Scotland internationally, including a 'Four Nations Festival of Flavours' event and the structure of DBT Scotland's sector experts which aligns with Scotland's diverse and modern economic strengths.
Paragraph Reference:
17
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
Promoting Scotland Internationally 3 iii. Four Nations Festival of Flavours, France. To coincide with food and drink trade fair, SIAL Paris, HMA France Dame Menna Rawlings, hosted a Four Nations Festival of Flavours at her Residence in Paris, offering the UK companies attending the trade fair an opportunity to meet with the international buyers in a more intimate setting than simply the trade fair itself. To promote Scotland’s brand internationally, DBT Scotland has experts covering the following sectors: i. Agricultural, Food and Drink ii. Healthcare and Life Sciences iii. Energy and Clean Technology iv. Advanced Manufacturing v. Financial, Professional and Business Services The team’s structure reflects the diverse exporting strengths of Scotland. Sector experts are embedded within DBT’s UK Sector teams and aligned with the established and innovative strengths of Scotland ensuring the nation’s economic potential is supported internationally by the UK Government. They collaborate closely with Scottish Development International’s (SDI) sector teams to align activity. For instance, where UK sectoral trade missions are relevant to Scotland’s strengths, DBT and SDI cooperate to identify Scottish companies that would benefit from participating. International Strategy for Scotland