STGA Forecast for 2012
2012 has certainly blown in with a bang this week, with the wild weather seeing off 2011 and any remaining Hogmanay cobwebs and hangovers. Perhaps it is a sign of what 2012 will have in store for Scotland this year, with lots of drama and dynamic events forecast sure to blow the socks off residents and visitors to our country alike.
Scottish Tourist Guides are exercising hard in February to keep away those winter chills – training to become Glasgow Commonwealth Games accredited guides. The first wave will hit the streets of Glasgow in March offering themed walking and step on coach tours to interested visitors, educational groups and many more. Click here and watch this space for more information.
One springtime weather front which is eagerly anticipated is the graduation of new Blue Badge Guides whom we expect to successfully complete their training and exams in May. Around the same time, we will welcome a new batch of students to our Blue Badge course in April, who will train for two years before qualifying in 2014. For more information on the course – click here.
25th to 26th April will find us returning again to Visit Scotland’s Expo, which is at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh. Old and new colleagues, clients and friends will find us at our stall in stand C7, with a hearty welcome and the latest edition of our Guide List.
In July the heat is on as THE event of 2012, the London Olympics, hits the UK like a tropical storm. Here at STGA HQ in Stirling, we are looking forward to seeing the Olympic torch pass our door on Wednesday 13th June as it conducts its own tour round Scotland and the rest of the UK. Scotland will play host to a number of the football Olympic events in our National stadium in Glasgow: Hampden.
For those hoping to escape the Olympic fever, or indeed to complement their Olympic visit, 2012 is the year of Creative Scotland, with festivals from the Fringe to the Tattoo, fabulous museums , galleries and exhibitions, and unusual initiatives such as Get Scotland Dancing. There will be many new things to do and appreciate in an Edinburgh city tour, with the capital energised and invigorated after the opening of the revamped National Museum for Scotland and National Portrait Gallery.
In August, the weather will turn and sprinkle a little myth and magic, as Disney Pixar release their new animated film ‘Brave’. This is widely expected to be more influential and important to the Scottish Tourism industry than Mel Gibson’s Braveheart, and after being translated in several languages is sure to be a hit with kids, young and old alike.
Last December we had a brief peek of Sunshine (and Sweetie), as two giant pandas took up residence in Edinburgh zoo before the festive gales descended. This year, the STGA are confidently predicting a year with lots of glorious Sunshine, more than enough to keep Sweetie and our visitors to Scotland. Here’s hoping anyway!
Posted by Gem Scotland on 04 January 2012