SAIL Scotland has unveiled a series of 360 degree virtual reality videos at Europe’s largest boat show in a bid to encourage visitors to discover Scotland by boat.

The marketing body launched the videos on Saturday, giving the 250,000 visitors to the Dusseldorf Boat Show the opportunity for an immersive experience of some of Scotland’s extraordinary islands, coastal destinations and canals.

Visitors are invited to explore eight inspiring must-visit locations through the 360 degree videos, each giving a taste of Scotland’s unique coastlines and islands, culture, heritage and wildlife. The virtual reality series spearheads Sail Scotland’s #MustSeaScotland campaign, created in partnership with the National Trust for Scotland, Diageo and CalMac, and supported by VisitScotland.

The National:

Gavin McDonagh, Chair of Sail Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to showcase our multi-media #MustSeaScotland campaign and state-of-the-art virtual reality videos at Europe’s biggest customer-facing boat show. This is also a great example of how Sail Scotland promotes Scotland and the marine tourism industry.”

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A virtual visitor might find themselves on approach to St Kilda, as the islands tower out of the storm-tossed waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Another virtual journey reveals the Isle of Islay. Visitors can take in the sweeping bays and spectacular views, before glimpsing behind the scenes at one of Islay’s renowned whisky distilleries.

The National: The series visits a number of Scottish coastlines, including Fingal's Cave on StaffaThe series visits a number of Scottish coastlines, including Fingal's Cave on Staffa

Mingulay, Canna, Oban, Skye and Inverness, the Moray Firth and Highland canals also all feature in the series of videos. In addition to inspiring sailors to Scotland’s waters, the videos are designed to encourage other visitors to explore by boat, as well as to discover Scotland’s coastal towns and attractions. In the virtual visit to Staffa, holidaymakers step aboard a trip boat to explore the island’s surreal volcanic rock columns and the magic of Fingal’s Cave, while the virtual voyage to Islay is aboard a CalMac ferry. Video visitors to the seaside town of Oban discover highlights including Oban Distillery, McCaig’s Tower and Dunstaffnage Castle.

Each 360 degree video also has an accompanying ‘behind the scenes’ video. These reveal a fascinating glimpse into the making of the virtual reality videos, which were created using the latest film techniques and state-of-the-art camera technologies.

The #MustSeaScotland virtual reality video series can be viewed online at youtube.com/user/sailscotland.