The social media spotlight was on Inverness this week as nearly 50 of the world's top travel bloggers gathered in the Highlands for a major international social media conference.

The Social Travel Summit, sponsored by VisitBritain and held in the UK for the first time, brought together popular travel bloggers and the travel industry to explore trends and insights in online travel marketing.
  
Bloggers from 17 countries including the USA, China, France, Germany, India and the Netherlands attended the summit, which was held from 19 - 21 September and organised by travel network iambassador. The bloggers also had the chance to see ‘destination Britain’ and to share their travel experiences with their social media followers during pre and post event trips. 
 
VisitBritain Chief Executive Sally Balcombe said: "We know the powerful role social media plays in promoting Britain to overseas visitors so we're thrilled to be bringing this summit here for the first time. I look forward to seeing some fantastic content created by the world's top bloggers as they tour the country, sharing their stories online and inspiring more visitors to book a trip to Britain."

VisitScotland Chief Executive Malcolm Roughead said:  "For Inverness to host the first Social Travel Summit to be held in Great Britain is a fantastic achievement for the Highland capital. The digital domain plays a hugely important role in reaching potential and returning visitors and the tourism industry needs to embrace new ways of working to succeed in a competitive global market." 

Figures from last year's Social Travel Summit, held in Hamburg, show that more than 500 images and blog posts were created during the summit and shared globally, reaching an estimated four million people.

Research by VisitBritain shows the influence social media has in positioning Britain as a destination of choice for international visitors, offering unparalleled opportunities to engage directly with potential visitors in a timely way, with the right messages, demonstrating an understanding of their world and motivations for travel.

Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, added: “It’s great to see this major social media conference taking place in the UK for the first time. At Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, we find that social media is the perfect way to engage with our clients, partners, suppliers and friends, helping us to communicate the ‘best of Britain’ in our key markets.”

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