Saturday 10 April 2010

Happy Tartan Day Parade New Yorkers!

Now I could be wrong but it does look as though politics may yet have got in the way of a good idea? Is it just me again or has the traditional Tartan Day celebrations that normally got high profile coverage vanished off the press pages? I know there's a wee election just rolling but there doesn't seem to be much profile around as there has been before.

I picked up a press clipping this morning saying the Jim Mather is over in The States promoting business links but so far haven't found anything about tourism promotions going on anywhere and when you Google "visitscotland scotland week 2010" there's nothing from the national tourism agency. A press release on Scotland week  from the government site is singularly low key.

So what has happened? Well it has everything to do with the renaming of Tartan Week to Scotland Week a couple of years back by the Scottish bodies involved? (See The Scotsman article at the time)

Has it been a good thing? I can't be sure having not been there but the fact that the profile has dropped so dramatically can hardly be a great thing and again reinforces the argument put by some that whilst the heater, kilt and whisky profile is not entirely accepted by all as the way forward it does provide a unique selling point (which captrures attention) that other countries cannot compete with. Scotland Week just doesn't do it on a PR level.

Anyway today, 10th of April in just a couple of hours the 12th Annual Tartan Week parade will commence in New York - without Scottish governement support - and we're sure it will bethe success it always is.

Good luck to the guys in New York looking after Tartan Week and have a great parade. Join them on Facebook as well.

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