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Last updated

11 May 2023

Use of cookies

How do I change my cookie settings?

At VisitScotland we respect your privacy and want to make sure you have control over your data. You can choose your own setting using the preference centre on our website to select which cookie categories you want to allow.

Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.

You can review and update your preferences at any point using the cookie preference centre.

 

Scottish Tourism Observatory use of cookies

Our website, tourismobservatory.scot, uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. A cookie is stored on your device in order to remember information about you such as your language preference or login information. They are commonly used in order to make websites work properly or more efficiently, as well as to provide information to owners of the website. Some cookies are essential, and others are optional. Cookies that are set by us are called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from domains different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes.  

 

Strictly necessary cookies

These cookies are required for the operation of our website and are always active. They are cookies which make our website perform its main functions as intended, and enable security, network management and accessibility. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information. 

 

Cookie Provider

Cookie Name

Cookie Description

Cookie Type

Cookie Lifespan

tourismobservatory.scot

 

UMB-XSRF-TOKEN, UMB-XSRF-V, UMB_UCONTEXT

These cookies are set by the website in order to maintain the session state of the logged in user.

First Party

Session

tourismobservatory.scot

 

ARRAffinity

Used for load balancing to make sure the visitor page requests are routed to the same server in any browsing session.

First Party

1 day,
1 year

tourismobservatory.scot

 

ai_session, ai_user


We use Microsoft Application Insights software, which collects statistical usage and telemetry information for apps built on the Azure cloud platform. This is a unique anonymous session identifier cookie.

First Party

1 day,
1 year

 

tourismobservatory.scot

 

.STO_CookiePreferences

Used to store information about a visitor's cookie preference settings

First Party

1 day,
1 year

 

 

Analytical cookies

These cookies allow us to count the number of visitors, help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily. All information these cookies collect is combined together, and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site and will not be able to monitor its performance. Third party performance cookies are deployed by a different website provider, such as Google.

 

Cookie Provider

Cookie Name

Cookie Description

Cookie Type

Cookie Lifespan

tourismobservatory.scot

 

_ga, _gid, _ga_5TX79K403T, _gac_gb_5TX79K403T

These cookies are set by Google Analytics and are used to help aggregate anonymous data around website usage into session and user metrics.

First Party

2 years, 24 hours, 2 years, 90 days

 

Cookie Policy Updates

VisitScotland uses a number of suppliers who set cookies on our behalf in order to deliver the services that they are providing. We are constantly reviewing our use of cookies and, as such, this cookies policy will be regularly reviewed to include up to date information about the cookies used by our suppliers. We would recommend that you check this page on a regular basis.

 

Privacy Preference Centre

When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalised web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. You can use the following controls to change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.