The tourism industry in Scotland
Tourism is a vital industry for Scotland. It injects £4.2 billion into the Scottish economy each year and supports around 210,000 jobs. It benefits our towns, cities, rural areas, helps support infrastructure such as transport services that benefit the economy as a whole, and has strong economic links into other economic sectors such as retail and food and drink.
Tourism in Scotland
VisitScotland’s annual 'Tourism in Scotland' report summarises the main tourism surveys for Scotland. The main findings for 2006 were:
- Over 16 million tourists took overnight trips to Scotland.
- The annual expenditure was over £4.1 billion.
- Tourism supports around 9 per cent of all employment.
- The UK accounts for 83 per cent of tourism trips to Scotland.
- Overseas tourism accounts for 17 per cent of tourism trips to Scotland.
- 69 per cent of overseas trips are taken in April-September.
- The USA is our biggest overseas market, accounting for 25 per cent of the overseas spend.
- 87 per cent of overseas visitors who come to Scotland arrive in the UK by air, and 62 per cent of UK visitors come by car.
- Overseas tourists stay an average of 9.7 nights; Scottish tourists an average of 3 nights; and English tourists an average of 4.1 nights.
- Average spend per night is £55 for overseas tourists and £65 for English tourists.
- A total of almost 45 million visits were made to Scottish visitor attractions in 2006.
- An estimated 210,000 people were employed in tourism-related industries in Scotland.
Find out more research and statistics on the VisitScotland website
Destination development research
Download the Economic Benefits of Resort Development in Scotland report (Word, 33.5kb)
Using Scottish case studies in 2007, Gen Consultants looked at the economic benefits of traditional resorts and timeshare establishments on local economies in three areas of Scotland.
Download the Destination Perthshire: Accommodation Audit (PDF, 765kb)
In September 2007 we commissioned Tourism Resources Company to undertake a comprehensive review of tourist accommodation supply in Perthshire. It provides reliable information to better inform public and private sector investment on policy decisions that affect Perth and the wider region’s tourist accommodation sector.
Tourism Intelligence Scotland guides
These guides highlight key trends and research information for the Scottish tourism industry. They are packed with information, facts, hints and tips, as well as useful internet links. Guides are available on:
- Walking tourism; and
- Scottish tourism in the future.
Download the guides on the Tourism Intelligence Scotland website
National Golf Tourism Monitor 2006
The National Golf Tourism Monitor collects and analyses weekly visitor rounds from around 70 courses across Scotland.
For more information on the 2006 monitor visit our Golf tourism page