CTA members were treated to some legendary Scottish hospitality at the Summer Networking event in Glasgow. Delegates were hosted at the well-located Crowne Plaza and a series of visits and a Workshop were arranged with support from our Partner member VisitScotland along with National Trust for Scotland, Glasgow Life and local attractions.

The Riverside Museum close to the hotel proved to be a big hit with operators, some of whom already include it in Glasgow itineraries and others are now planning to. This visit was followed by a tour of nearby Clydeside Distillery with a chance for a quick tasting exercise and a tour to learn the background to the whisky-making process.

The evening dinner was a themed Scottish event, complete with piper and Highland Dancers, and the reception was hosted by Glasgow City Council, with Baillie Thomas Kerr in attendance.

On the Monday morning, more than 20 Scottish attractions and venues met up with CTA buyers in a very productive Scotland Workshop. And in the afternoon, the group had a quick coach tour of Glasgow expertly guided by blue badge guide Val Eglinton, before heading off to Pollok Park for the Burrell Collection, and then a tour and picnic at Pollok House kindly supplied by National Trust for Scotland.

The sun even shone on the picnic which was supplemented by Scotland-made ice creams and some fantastic gin cocktails, courtesy of Crieff Hydro’s special Gin Truck which made a special appearance.

The next CTA networking event is at Marsham Court Hotel, Bournemouth on 20-21 November, and there is also a CTA members get-together on the Monday morning of World Travel Market on 7 November. Full details of these events and booking links will be posted shortly.

A slideshow of the photos from the event is below. Many thanks to Stuart Render for photography.