VisitScotland G8 Summit Overview

The G8 Summit may now be over but for more than a week Scotland has been in the international spotlight.

Hundreds of journalists from across the world have been captivated by the beautiful scenery of Perthshire, Gleneagles and Edinburgh and the friendliness of Scottish people.

Although they came to report on political events, Scotland has been captured in every television broadcast and every newspaper or magazine image.

Press Overview

Here’s a snapshot of what the media thought of Scotland.

The Times Online put the archetypal sleepy Scottish town, Auchterarder on the international map:
“Scotland is the centre of international attention more than at any time since it hosted the Commonwealth Games 20 years ago.”

On the Canadian National Union of Public Employees website a reported described every detail of the Make Poverty History march:
”All along the way, as we passed through beautiful historic Edinburgh, there were signs and banners supporting the cause. There is a huge castle on a hilltop in Edinburgh and on this castle was a massive banner saying ‘Make Poverty History”.

The Belfast Telegraph acknowledged the local people’s welcoming attitude to our guests from across the country:
“As the convoy of buses made their way through the small village of Auchterarder, people stood in their gardens waving at the protesters as they drove by.”

The concert at Murrayfield Stadium was described as ‘delightful’ by the New York Post:
“There’ll be no way to measure the impact of Saturdays Live 8 concert until the end of the G8 summit, which begins today. But one thing’s for sure - the shows weren’t half as exciting for audiences watching at home.”

It was not just the international press that were taken with Scotland, in newspapers across the world, US President George Bush endorsed bike riding in Scotland’s beautiful countryside.

From the BBC World Edition Website, Thursday 7 July
US president George Bush has urged people to get on their bikes and tour Scotland's "beautiful" countryside. He was speaking after crashing into a Strathclyde Police officer while riding his mountain bike on the Gleneagles Estate in Perthshire. Mr Bush told journalists it was a "spectacular part of the world".

Scotland Post-G8

Hosting the G8 will have considerable financial benefits for Scotland. Not only will there be an immediate financial benefit from the large influx of media and delegates staying in Scotland, but also a long term benefit for Scottish business.

Evidence from Savannah, Georgia (location of the 2004 summit) shows that the area benefited from £1 billion worth of increased sales plus free advertising as a direct result of the summit. Accommodation bookings in the month of the summit rose 20% whilst sales tax increased by 11%.

The Georgia State Government estimated the value of the free media coverage Savannah received as a result of the G8 was $818 million (£360 million).  The effect of this huge media coverage is still being felt with Savannah continuing to experience increased tourism since the summit.

An economic impact study will be commissioned to measure the benefits to Scotland flowing from the G8 summit, and the results will be published in late autumn.