The latest Scotland Starts Here campaign has been launched to help bring more visitors to the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway over the winter months. 

The South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) has launched a new marketing campaign inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the region over the quieter winter months to discover everything from frosty woodland walks and the region’s famous Dark Skies to delicious seasonal cuisine and charming local attractions.

The campaign has launched alongside a series of 14 branded destination videos highlighting the diversity of the South of Scotland’s tourism offering across the region.

The new campaign, promoted through SSDA’s consumer-facing platform Scotland Starts Here, aims to boost visitor numbers to the Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway during the winter off-season. It will run from September 2024 to March 2025.

Designed with feedback from tourism and hospitality businesses in the South of Scotland, the campaign includes a series of advertorials on Reach PLC titles, digital advertisements, social media activity across Scotland Starts Here channels, and a series of press trips to showcase the region’s winter offer. There will also be a competition running to win a short stay in the South of Scotland.

This initiative is part of SSDA’s ongoing efforts to support tourism and hospitality businesses by promoting the South of Scotland as a year-round destination, reflecting the aims of the South of Scotland’s Responsible Tourism Strategy 2024-2034 to extend the season and encourage longer stays.

The campaign builds on awareness generated in recent years including National Geographic Traveller (UK) naming the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere, Scotland’s first UNESCO Biosphere, as the only Scottish destination in its renowned global Cool List 2024, as well as Lonely Planet selecting the South of Scotland as one of its Best in Travel destinations of 2023.

Established in May 2020, SSDA is an industry-led Destination Management and Marketing Organisation. Its mission is to position the South of Scotland—encompassing the Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway—as a leading responsible tourism destination. By supporting local businesses, driving tourism growth, and promoting sustainable travel, the SSDA aims to generate £1 billion in tourism spend by 2030 and support thousands of new jobs in the region.

The launch of the new campaign follows the news that the South of Scotland Destination Alliance hit its 2025 Covid recovery targets of having a £750m visitor economy supporting 14,000 jobs 2.5 years early.

The SSDA is funded by the Scottish Government through South of Scotland Enterprise, as well as its 660+ business members. It works to develop the South of Scotland as a world-class visitor destination and support tourism businesses to succeed in a sustainable and responsible way.

Vanessa Wegstein, Marketing Manager at SSDA, said: “The South of Scotland has so much to offer in the winter months, from our stunning landscapes and rich literary heritage to the myriad local events and flourishing food and drink scene – and we want to encourage visitors to explore the region outside of the peak summer season, and to relax and recharge through becoming fully immersed in the region.

“Following the success of our previous campaigns promoting cycling and Dark Skies in the region, to name a few, we are confident that we can continue to develop the South of Scotland as a year-round destination – Scotland starts here!”