Còsagach is an old Scottish term and has nee identified by VisitScotland as a new trend for 2018. The term which is used to describe the feeling of being snug, sheltered or cosy has been highlighted by the tourist board as a potential rival to the Scandinavian concepts that are popular at the minute, such as Danish concept of Hygge, a similar concept that describes a type of cosiness and comfort that engages a feeling of contentment or well-being.
Scotland is well known around the world for its hospitality, and has most recently been named as the Most Welcoming Country by Rough Guides readers. VisitScotland, the national tourism organisation is building on their recent success and are now encouraging businesses to create environments that ‘induce a feeling of warmth or cosiness’, where visitors have the opportunity to relax and unwind.
Còsagach is one of several trends that have been identified by the tourism organisation’s Insight Department that is expected to develop over the course of the next 18 to 24 months. It is thought that nearly a quarter of the visitors that come to Scotland do so to get away from it all, with more than 4 million UK visitors mentioned relaxing as a reason behind their trip. As a part of the VisitScotland Insight Department’s recent paper, Còsagach has been referenced with the advertisement of ‘tranquil seascapes, vast open spaces and many warm and welcoming pubs, Scotland is the perfect place for your well-being’.
The sense of well-being that has been evoked in the concepts of Hygge and Còsagach is also a vital part of another vital trend “Wellness”, and where visitors seek escapism from technology and their fast paced lives in tourism related activities in order to recharge their body and their mind. This development of more Elemental Tourism offers an opportunity for businesses to address the balance of tourism provision by collaborating to drive visitor traffic to tourism hotspots that are considered to be outside of the norm. These other trends that have been forecast for 2018 includes more use of Augmented Virtual Reality to enhance and support the tourism industry, Communi-gagement and using social media to showcase their product, Challenging Fake News offering an opportunity for businesses looking to prove the validity and integrity of their products, Retrotainment and offering nostalgic experiences as an innovative selling point as well as Authenticity & Immersion, with businesses looking to incorporate provincial and authentic experiences for the overall tourism product.
