Monday 13 February 2012

VisitScotland Select New Minds.

I was off on holiday last week but found the following information in the Scottish Tourism Forum newsletter. It's not that it's news - we knew several weeks ago about the appointment but some of the additinoal information is interesting inclduing the fact that it is a four year contract.

The other most interesting element is that the press release has only come out from New Minds and there is no mention (that I can find excepting Board Minutes) from VisitScotland about the major appointment. Nothing on the VisitScotland business website nor newsletters. Again maybe I've missed something! Anyway here's the annoucnement from New Minds about the new deal.

"New Mind's Destination Management System (DMS) will power all of Scotland's official tourism websites following a major 4 year contract win with the national tourism organisation, VisitScotland.

The win is the culmination of a rigorous tender process that has taken place over the last 9 months, which originally included 50 expressions of interest, whittled down to 12 tenders, and eventually shortlisted down to the final 3 contenders.

One of VisitScotland's primary objectives as an organisation is to grow Scottish tourism through the digital environment. Central to this strategy is the requirement for a comprehensive Destination Management System which will act as a central repository for all data relating to Scotland's tourism offer. New Mind's technology has been selected as a 'best in class' platform to deliver these objectives, based on the strength of its functionality and flexibility.

The existing http://www.visitscotland.com web site already receives 12.7 million unique visitors a year and the key aim for the future will be to increase this by improving online communication with both Scottish tourism businesses and consumers alike. The New Mind DMS will be central to that goal.

Martin Ogg, Head of Digital at VisitScotland, says, "VisitScotland is delighted to have New Mind on board to deliver this new system. New Mind was awarded this contract following an intensive and detailed tender process. VisitScotland believes that New Mind has both fully embraced the ambition for the website and also has the technical experience and knowledge to deliver on the ambition. To date, New Mind has demonstrated a flexible, pro-active approach underlining their expertise within their market.”

Managing Director of New Mind, Richard Veal comments "We are very pleased to be working with such a high-profile organisation such as VisitScotland. This project will be one of the most significant pieces of work we have undertaken, and is our first project for a National Tourism Organisation, representing the interests of a whole country. We are very much looking forward to getting started on the project and are keen to bring our own unique set of skills and experience to the party."

The project is scheduled to start by the end of the month, with a view to delivering the solution within the first quarter of 2012."

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