SITOA
Supporting and Promoting Scotland's Independent Tour Operators
SITOA
SITOA members are united by the love for Scotland and sharing our country with visitors from all over the world.
Visitors wishing to see and explore the best of Scotland can choose here from a number of excellent Scottish Independent Tour Operators. In early 2021, these small businesses decided to work together and created The Scottish Independent Tour Operator Association (SITOA).
Travelling the length and breadth of our beloved Scotland, on day tours or multi-day tours we are all passionate about offering the very best in customer service and sharing our love and knowledge of Scotland.
Our members are a varied group of expert tour operators who want to show visitors to Scotland around in all sorts of transport. Our members’ commitment to high standards of customer service and the pleasure we get from sharing our country with enthusiastic visitors from all over the world.
By using a SITOA tour guide, tourists are assured of a professional, insured tour provided by operators who are governed by the SITOA constitution and code of conduct.
OUR CORE VALUES
Representation for all in the Industry
SITOA is an active, passionate advocate for Scottish tour operators and the wider tour industry.
Through engagement with the Scottish Tourism Alliance, Visit Scotland and wider tourism action groups, our voice is heard across Scottish tourism.
Quality in the Community
SITOA members are professional tour operators, promoting the well-being of the local economy, employees and Scottish tourism.
With strict members criteria, code of conduct, compliance checks and CPD, we are advocating best practice in Scottish tour guiding.
5 Star Scottish Experiences
Our members are proud of their reputation and the reputation of SITOA. We strive for 5 star service, offering tourists from around the world great service and great experience.
Check our members listing and their reviews in our members directory.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SITOA
The Scottish Independent Tour Operator Association (SITOA) represents over 200 small tour companies, employing over 350 tour guides who operate in Scotland.
Established in January 2021, SITOA’s 3 founding members were compelled to organise after seeing so many small, local Tour Operators consistently miss out on emergency rounds of funding in 2020.
Within weeks of establishing the association in 2021, SITOA built up a membership of over 120 small Tour Operators from all over Scotland and entered into emergency talks with Visit Scotland and the Scottish Tourism Alliance. The result of this was an extra £3 million added to the original Visit Scotland fund.
Today, SITOA’s members are a varied bunch of professional tour operators who want to show visitors to Scotland around in all sorts of transport: luxury cars, minivans and minibuses. Some of us have staff, some use freelancers and others do all the tours themselves.
If you are a small Tour Operator in Scotland and plan on trading after the Pandemic, join us now and receive the representation you never got in 2020.