Comment: Scots tourism learnt a lot from Blogmanay Social media and the internet are the most influential and important developments to have impacted on the tourism industry. In 1999, 8 per cent of visitors were using the internet to book at least one element of their trip to Edinburgh; by 2002 that had increased to 37 per cent and by 2010 it was 85 per cent. It's not just the younger generation who use the internet and social media frequently to book travel - more than 80 per cent of 55-year-olds do too. Research also shows that when deciding where to visit, word of mouth and personal recommendations influence more than 24 per cent of our leisure visitors and social media is increasingly the source of those recommendations, whether via Tripadvisor, Facebook, Twitter or trusted bloggers. Ensuring that we respond effectively and harness the great opportunities this presents, for both individual businesses and Edinburgh as a destination, is challenging. Etag's 2010 Edinburgh Tourism and Technology report identified industry uncertainties about a lack of technology expertise, speed of change and infrastructure constraints. In response Etag has organised nearly 50 technology and social media events for more than 12,000 delegates over the past year. An example of a successful initiative is the industry-created and developed #Blogmanay which Etag was delighted to support, as it fitted so well with our priorities. It was a hugely successful social media and digital tourism campaign for Scotland involving six leading international travel bloggers, plus 15 UK and local travel bloggers, to raise digital awareness. Bloggers were able to connect with the community of Edinburgh's Hogmanay on social media worldwide using the hashtag #Blogmanay. It was tweeted 5,646 times and reached 37.3 million people. The impact of Blogmanay has been impressive and this model is something we should build on and develop - industry took a leadership role, working collaboratively not only in Edinburgh, but right across Scotland on a scale we've not seen before. Robin Worsnop is chief executive of Rabbie's Small Group Tours and chair of Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (Etag).