Bored with dark nights and post-Christmas abstinence? Us too! That’s why at Visit Loch Ness we’re giving you the chance to win a scrumptious luxury hamper from Scottish Hampers. Packed with delicious Scottish goodies, it’s the perfect antidote to the winter blues, and a well-deserved slice of gourmet indulgence after a month of January dieting.

To be in with a chance to win the gorgeous “Thistle” food hamper, and to stay up to date with the latest news, updates and events in and around Loch Ness, then all you have to do is sign up for our monthly newsletter before 29th Feb 2012. You can do this by entering your email address into the newsletter box which can be found at the bottom left of all Visit Loch Ness pages.

We’ll announce our lucky winner by email soon after the competition closing date of 29th February.

Postage overseas extra.

Some food for thought here gleaned from my experience - Social Media can work for big companies employing experts and using it as a part of their overall marketing strategy. It can work too for small business with owners who possess a thorough knowledge of their industry and who can personally dedicate lots of time logged into Facebook Twitter etc. But even with industry and product knowledge it requires a lot of skill and natural ability to engage the community without openly marketing the product.

My honest feeling about it is that hard earned money, or budget is far better spent on SEO and Pay Per Click where you can precisely measure ROI (Return On Investment). It is virtually impossible to get accurate ROI figure for paid social media work. Yes you may drum up 3,000 friends/followers on Facebook but if you look closely most of those "followers" will be either Social Media experts hoping to sell you even more SM! or friends of friends, acquaintances and other small businesses similar to your own, but how many of them will ever buy anything from you?

You might feel disapointed and wonder where all that money went if having paid a Social Media specialist to get you all these Facebook friends when you have empty rooms! .

In a nutshell, if you are paying for it make sure you are able to see a ROI at the end of the campaign. Above all beware of strangers bearing gifts! the SM market place is awash with advisors consultants specialists, experts! a word of mouth reccommendation is the least you should get before taking on  paying for Social Media work.

If you can do it yourself excellent, there is nothing to lose but time. If you are big company give it a go and if you dont get a reasonalble return you can cut it out of your budget and try something new, something like Google+ which looks set challenge Facebook and to change search forever by integrating it's social media into its search engine results. Now that sounds interesting!  

Check out - Visitlochness.com Google+ Page                   

When films like ‘Braveheart’ are released, they mark a huge rise in people’s awareness of the magic of Scotland and tourism increases greatly. Hopefully ‘Brave’ will have the same effect on the country’s tourism numbers, encouraging people to search for Scottish getaways after playing a game or two of Partypoker. Not that Scotland’s tourism industry needs a boost any more than any other area at the moment, as the Highlands and Islands especially have proved to be impressively resilient in recent difficult times for the tourism industry.

Some of the characters in this film will be voiced by Scottish actors and actresses, to ensure that it has an authentic feel. The heroine Merida will be voiced by Kelly Macdonald, a Scottish actress known for appearing in Trainspotting, No Country for Old Men and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. The film also features the voices of Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters and Billy Connolly. It was directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, who co-wrote the screenplay with Irene Mecchi. VisitScotland has announced that 2012 to 2014 will be the Winning years for Scotland, and this film will no doubt have something to do with that.

I thought it would be a good time now to remind folks to BOOK EARLY  if you plan to go away for a break this festive period. It's so frustrating turning away last minute enquirers. The same applies if you intend eating out over the festive period, book your table early for christmas dinner, Loch Ness is a small place which gets busy at holiday time so don't delay.

Our Loch Ness Special Offers page is already showing some good Christmas menu deals around Loch Ness. 

Later this month (November 26th and 27t) for St Andrews day weekend you can get free entry into some of Historic Scotland's top properties notably for Loch Ness is Urquhart Castle they are offering free entry for the weekend to anyone and no pre booking required so if you have always wanted to see it or othe r Historic Scotland properties then now is your chance to do so and save money at the same time.

Check out Historic Scotlands St Andrews Day Freebie

quoted from Top 5 quirky castles

Aldourie, the only habitable castle on the shores of Loch Ness, has all the fairytale grandeur and glamour you could ask for from an authentic grade A-listed Highland castle. It blazes warmth and hospitality, and there are turrets and towers, …

A delegation of six high-ranking politicians from Benxi – a principal city in a region of China with a population of 44 million residents – has arrived in the Highlands for a whistle-stop tour of Loch Ness and other main tourism attractions in the area, which could lead to a Chinese tourism boom in the north of Scotland.

The influential Chinese delegation, which has the power to promote destinations, made a special request to see the area after a visit from Inverness tourism representatives in 2008.

See the full article here

quoted from PrinceorPauper

@visit_lochness Thank you for following me. http://t.co/QPHeWFCx This is a splendid link for your visitors looking for Scottish roots!

there are a lot of people visiting Loch Ness and surrounding lands who come to either look for their birthplace or for their family roots. It is amazing just how many people from the USA, Australia and former British Empire colonies there are!  Many of the families and clan names are still common in glens and villages where mass migration took place and this is where the visitors head for.  At Loch Ness we have good resources and Heritage groups who just love helping people in their search for lost families and clan history. We too have a good bank of old pictures and other items of knowledge to pass on to our visitors.   check out our website and contact us here – http://www.visitlochness.com/contact.php   

We have also seen many more touring cyclists this year especially down the south side of Loch Ness as the roads are quieter it is ideal for tourers and campers. The road on the south side is close to Loch Ness for most of the way and its easy to get down to the waters edge for a picnic or just to enloy, it really is a great place to spend a summer holiday and absolutely unbeatable when the weather is kind, though seasoned outdoor enthusiasts don't let the weather deter them! 

For those contemplating a Highland cycling or camping holiday, Loch Ness area is a good place to start looking, especially now we have new waymarked trail on the south side of the loch which extends almost the entire length of Loch Ness. Before you set off for the Highlands for your summer holiday check out the new trail route and download the South Loch Ness trail maps.    

Our sympathy is with all those people that have been injured killed or robbed during the riots.  It’s difficult to imgine the trauma of all that went on in London and other cities in England from a Glen where the only sounds are of water lapping at the rocky shores, the occasional faint sound of a passing vehicle accross the loch on the opposite bank, twittering flocks of birds foraging in the Birch woods and the whisper of the breeze in the branches.

The only riots to be seen in this Glen are the riotsof colour from the blueblells under the woodland canopy and the golden yellow bursts of gorse blooms which border our roads and fields. 

Take a break, visit our tranquil Glen - Visit Loch Ness   

Across the glen a riot of colour and the feeling of calm dominates