Scottish National Identity, events, and tourism: An exploration of Hogmanay and the Royal Military Tattoo

The aim of this research project was to determine if key heritage events in Scotland have the ability to showcase a national identity for the country, which truly reflects the environment Scottish people live in. With this, four objectives were developed: • To have a clear understanding of a Scottish national identity and the influences this has over the production of key heritage events. • Critically evaluate how Hogmanay and the Royal Military Tattoo are designed by event organisers to promote a national identity. • To ascertain how a Scottish national identity is communicated to the public through the promotion of key heritage events. • Develop an understanding of the partnership between events and tourism, and establish how events such as Hogmanay and the Royal Military Tattoo are promoted to the international market. A detailed literature review was completed to highlight what current issues and themes relate to the research project. The themes covered were: national identity, the connection between events and national identity, promotion of events and national identity to the public, and the connection between tourism, events, and national identity. These themes highlighted a theoretical framework from which research was carried out, and a qualitative method was chosen. This took the form of seven semi-structured interviews with key industry organisations. Any ethical issues pertaining to the method were mentioned in the methodology chapter, and the validity and reliability of the research project was evaluated. The data collected from the research was transcribed through the use of digital audio recordings, and analysed in relation to the aim and objectives of the project. The key findings took the form of five individual themes: national identity for Scotland, event impacts, Scotland's position in the global tourist market, balancing Scotland's assets with what the global market wants, and key partnerships within the event and tourism industry. Each theme was crucial in answering the objectives of the research project, therefore establishing conclusions and recommendations based on the results.ba_eveunpub1390_ethesesunpu