What company do you work for?
Forever Edinburgh
What is your job title?
Destination Marketing & Digital Officer
On a day-to-day basis what do you do at work?
In my role with Forever Edinburgh, I am responsible for creation of the content that is published on all of our social media platforms, whether this is informative videos on Instagram and TikTok, or promotion of events happening in the city. Alongside this, I monitor the engagement on our social media and communicate with our audience to inform visitors of events, lesser-known areas of the city and new and upcoming attractions coming to Edinburgh. I also assist with creating a content plan for the months ahead and promotion of our Resident Rewards scheme to EH postcode holders.
Where did your career in tourism begin?
After studying marketing at University, I was lucky enough to start my career in tourism in a 2 year graduate role with VisitScotland. My position was Social Media and Influencer Graduate, where I assisted with content planning and creation for VisitScotland’s social media channels and also worked with influencers to promote Scotland. After my two years at VS came to an end, I joined the Forever Edinburgh team a few months later at the end of 2024 as Destination Marketing and Digital Officer. I now work to promote Edinburgh to visitors and residents through social media content and we aim to encourage our audience to think of the city differently and explore lesser-known areas during their stay.
What do you love most about your job?
The aspect I love most about my job is being able to reflect on the impact our content has had on visitors and residents. In my opinion, there is no better feeling than putting time into creating an informative, exciting piece of visual content and seeing our audience love it as much as I do. For example, if a video performs extremely well and our audience are commenting, liking and sharing this, it shows me that the content we have decided to put out there has a purpose and that people find it useful.
In once sentence how would you sell Edinburgh to a potential visitor?
A visit to Edinburgh is like no other city in the world – you can learn about rich history and spend time visiting attractions, but in the same week you could explore in nature and take time to wind down, it has everything for any type of experience you want.
What’s your favourite place in Edinburgh and why?
My favourite place in Edinburgh has to be the Grassmarket, very cliché I know! The mix of pubs, unique little shops and cafes, all while being surrounded by the historic buildings of the Old Town and sitting underneath the castle makes it such a special place to explore. My favourite thing to do on a sunny day in Edinburgh is enjoy some tasty food and a refreshing drink outside of a pub, people watch and look up at Edinburgh Castle.
What advice would you give someone considering a career in tourism?
My advice to someone considering a career in tourism is to think about what you are really passionate about. Absolutely you should go for it, but know that a job feels so much easier when you love what you are trying to promote to other people. Tourism can be a tricky subject for many cities and Edinburgh is certainly not the exception to this, but when you love the area you are working in it comes naturally to encourage others to experience it the way you do.
We’re celebrating the past 25 years of tourism in Edinburgh, but looking forward what would you like to see happen in next 25 years for Edinburgh as tourist destination?
In the next 25 years, I would love to broaden the perception of Edinburgh as a tourist destination past the city centre alone, for potential visitors to know about the amazing attractions and greenspaces we have outside of the Old Town and New Town. As fantastic and iconic as these areas are, often visitors come to Edinburgh with knowledge of these alone and don’t think of exploring anywhere else. We can welcome visitors who have seen and heard about lesser-known areas and have included these in their plans, as well as the iconic spots Edinburgh is loved for right now.
