:

  • VisitScotland
  • Business Events
  • Travel Trade
  • Toolkit
  • Corporate
  • VisitScotland
  • Business Events
  • Travel Trade
  • Toolkit
  • Corporate
    • All Advice and support

      Start your business

      • All Start your business
      • Legislation
      • Measure your progress
      • Pricing strategies
      • Set up a business

      Improve your business

      • All Improve your business
      • Create an inclusive business
      • Deliver a quality experience
      • Partner support opportunities
      • Understand your customers

      Grow your business

      • All Grow your business
      • Funding opportunities
      • Online booking systems
      • Reach new markets
      • Sell with travel partners

      Promote your business

      • All Promote your business
      • Create good content
      • Manage your social media
      • Manage your website
      • Marketing opportunities

      Sustainability

      • All Sustainability
      • Create a climate action plan
      • Improve your sustainability
      • Measure your climate impact
      • Net zero and sustainability
      • Promote responsible tourism

      Support by sector

      • All Support by sector
      • Accommodation
      • Active and outdoor
      • Events and festivals
      • Food and drink
      • Visitor attractions
  • Training and events
  • Contact us

Welcome to the beta version of the new Business Support Hub. Please use this form to provide any comments or suggestions.

Feedback form
  1. Home
  2. Advice and support
  3. Grow your business
  4. Sell with travel partners
  5. Connect with travel trade partners

Connect with travel trade partners

8 minute read • Last published: 25 February 2025

There are a few ways to meet a travel distribution partner and begin building and developing a working relationship together. Learn about how working with VisitScotland can help you to understand how travel distribution works and how to best approach your first meetings. Look at how to take a listing on VisitScotland’s Travel Trade website so that travel distribution partners know you are available for business. Find out how to sign up for a relevant trade event and engage in 1-to-1 meetings with potential partners.

In this article:

  • Trade events
  • VisitScotland travel trade website
  • Trade event tips
  • How to contact a partner directly
  • Continuing the relationship

Trade events

Delegates at trade event

Travel trade event

There are three types of trade events:

  • workshop-style format with 1-to-1 meetings
  • business development missions
  • in-market or global events

Workshop-style events

These are business to business events where you can connect with partners in the travel industry.

Many of these events include a workshop-style format, where you meet 1-to-1 with 12-30 travel distribution partners per day. This format usually gives you a short slot to introduce your business, share your product or service, and describe how it could be a good fit for the partner.

The events may also include insights and trends talks, keynote speakers and industry celebrations.

Who will you meet at these events?

  • tour operators
  • wholesalers
  • destination management companies (DMCs)
  • online travel agents (OTAs)
  • travel advisors

Other businesses will be attending, and there may be destination management organisations (DMOs) who are representing a destination – eg Visit Aberdeenshire or Glasgow Life. Check out our list of partner support opportunities for tips on how to work with your local or regional DMO.

VisitScotland Connect

  • Approximately 7,000 meetings across 2 days
  • Up to 250 international and UK buyers
  • Up to 220 Scottish businesses, DMOs and national partners
  • Up to 13 nationwide FAM trips showcasing 170 businesses to partners

VisitScotland Connect is Scotland’s flagship travel trade event which brings together Scottish businesses with domestic and international distribution partners in a workshop-style format.

Find out more about VisitScotland Connect.

Business Development Missions (BDMs)

A BDM is a small workshop bringing together selected tour operators and DMCs with new-to-the-market Scottish businesses focusing on 1-to-1 engagements.

The benefits of joining a BDM are:

  • a space for those starting to distribute through distribution partners to learn how to pitch and start a business relationship
  • peer to peer learning from other businesses who are at a similar stage to you
  • lower attendance fee as it’s a smaller event
  • opportunity to understand the market, particularly for BDMs held abroad

Spaces for BDMs are very limited, and achieving a balance of regions and sectors is considered during business selection. Attendance is normally by invitation only.

In-market or global events

These events happen in a particular market (eg Germany) and multiple destinations attend to showcase their products and services. A business such as yours would usually attend as part of a Scottish delegation.

These events are for experienced tourism businesses who have previously attended a workshop-style event of BDM. Examples include ITB and World Travel Market.

Where can I find a trade event?

Look at our events calendar for trade events, exhibitions and business development missions and make sure you note your interest early if you are interested in attending.

VisitScotland travel trade website

You can register for a business listing on our travel trade website.

This is a key portal used and promoted by VisitScotland staff when talking to and working with travel distribution partners.

Your listing can then be shared in conversations at travel trade events and in VisitScotland’s email programme, a monthly global ezine to a travel database of tour operators, destination management companies (DMCs) and travel advisors.

Trade event tips

  • Choose the right partners

    If the trade event you are attending is workshop and appointment-based, make sure you only accept or request appointments with the right partners – research and check who everyone is before the event.

  • Have your pitch ready

    Have your elevator pitch ready. If you only get a short moment with someone at a drinks reception, networking dinner or scheduled appointment, can you describe what your product, service or business is, and what makes it unique?

  • Use your time wisely

    It’s important to establish a rapport but you won’t have much time for small talk. Use a few minutes at the beginning for introductions and leave a few minutes at the end for next steps. Focus on your business pitch.

  • Be open to ideas

    Be open to suggestions from the travel distribution partner that could help improve sales of existing products.

  • Summarise next steps

    Go over the next steps at the end of the meeting and make sure to follow up promptly after the event.

  • Don't overpromise

    This meeting is just the beginning of a partnership, and it’s important to take the time to match requirements carefully over follow-up discussions.

How to contact a partner directly

Want to contact a partner outside of an event? Here’s how to reach out to them directly.

  • Research your options

    Find a travel distribution partner you want to explore working with. You might have an idea of who this could be from previous events, networking with other businesses or speaking to other people in the industry.

  • Create a shortlist

    Once you have identified some options, do some online research to explore which travel distribution partners would be most suitable for the customer you want to reach.

    Try and find out who the best contact is – usually the contractor or product developer. Use LinkedIn or ask others who have worked with them before for an introduction.

  • Make contact

    Once you have their contact information, reach out to them with who you are, why you’re contacting them specifically, and share your one-page product factsheet. They usually like to meet face to face, so let them know you’d be happy to host them for a meeting.

    Top tip: It might be useful to get together with a few other businesses – either contacts you have locally or try reaching out to your DMO. You could then set up a group day where a travel distribution partner can come and meet you all, giving them best value for their time.

  • Arrange a meeting

    Arrange a meeting – talking to a partner will give you learnings, hearing what questions they have and what else you might have included in your initial presentation conversation. Their feedback will also help you to improve and perfect your product for your target customers.

    Remember: Distribution partners tend to be very busy, especially if they are looking after multiple destinations. It may take time to arrange a meeting, and only if they believe you are suitable for their customers and that this is the right time. They tend to be busiest between September and April when trade shows are held across the world, as they are often not just selling Scotland but also working in other countries, all with customers who plan and book holidays at different times of the year.

Continuing the relationship

Whether your initial meeting was at your business or at a trade event, you’ll want to continue to develop the relationship. Keep your business at the front of the partner’s mind and make sure they remember what you offer.

  • Send a follow-up email after the meeting

    • Include your one-page product document or presentation deck, and a link to your travel trade website page if you haven’t done so already.
    • Recap briefly what your product is and provide answers to any questions you couldn’t cover during the meeting.
    • Let them know when you’ll next contact them – this should be the month they’ve told you they start their planning for the next season.

  • Get in touch during the month they start their planning

    Send your next follow-up email, letting them know you are just keeping in touch and still keen to do business. Ask them if they need any further information from you.

  • Keep checking in if you don’t hear anything

    Send a short follow-up once a month but if you still don’t hear anything back, you can assume they have all the information from you they need and are still deciding whether to move forward with your product. They may also have been delayed working in other markets and aren’t focusing on Scotland yet.

  • Every time you get in touch

    Send them interesting and engaging emails with clear information.

    For every email you send, consider if there are any relevant business updates you can share.

    This might be:

    • A trial of a new product and the results of how it performed.
    • Plans for the business, your progress with them and any dates for launches or completion of work.
    • A new time slot available for an existing product.
    • An extension of an existing product.
    • New added experiences onto an existing product.
    • A new partnership with another business to create a joint product or experience.
    • New opportunities to pick up customers from nearby transport points.

  • Invite them for a familiarisation (FAM) trip

    Invite the distribution partner to your business to experience the product or service first-hand. This is the best way for them to understand what you offer and be able to help sell the experience to their customers.

    This is also a good way to keep your business at the front of their mind as you continue the working relationship over a long period.

Find trade events

View our events calendar for trade events, exhibitions and business development missions and sign up early if you're interested in attending.

Training and events

Related Pages

How to prepare a business pitch

Find out what information you need to prepare for your first travel distribution meeting.
4 minute read
How-to

Pricing strategies

Review different pricing strategies and find the right one for direct sales and for selling through a travel distribution partner.
10 minute read
How-to

Making visitor attractions bookable

Find the right online booking system for your experience and make it easier to take and manage customer bookings.
10 minute read
How-to

Prepare your business checklist

Make sure you’re prepared for meeting your first travel distribution partner with market research, prices and business information.
6 minute read
Article

Sign up for the latest advice

Sign up for the Business Support monthly newsletter to get the latest advice and tips straight to your inbox. We’ll keep you informed with up-to-date insights, case studies and best practice guides to help you start, improve or grow your business.
Get the Business Support newsletter

About us

  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Cookie Policy

Our other sites

  • Business Events
  • Corporate
  • Media Toolkit
  • Travel Trade
  • Scotland is Now
  • VisitScotland.com

Find us on

Find us on

Brand Scotland

© 2025 VisitScotland. All rights reserved.