The tourism industry in Scotland

Tourism generates over £4 billion for the Scottish economy each year and supports around 208,000 jobs, making it one of Scotland's highly successful industries. The tourism industry in Scotland delivers benefits to the whole country, helps support infrastructure and has strong economic links to other sectors such as food and drink and retail.

Tourism in Scotland

The Scottish tourism industry builds on significant strengths such as breathtaking scenery, world-class attractions, and Scotland's famous history and culture. VisitScotland's annual "Tourism in Scotland" report for 2009 found that:

  • Around 15 million tourists took overnight trips to Scotland
  • The UK accounts for 83 percent of tourism trips to Scotland
  • 64 percent of overseas trips are taken between April and September
  • The USA remains the biggest single national market, accounting for 17 percent of overseas spend
  • Overseas tourists stay an average of 9 nights, Scottish tourists 3 nights, and English tourists 5 nights
  • Average spend per night is £62 for overseas tourists, £53 for Scottish tourists and £60 for English tourists
  • A total of just under 45 million visits were made to Scottish visitor attractions
  • Museums and Art Galleries, Gardens and Interpretation and Visitor Centres are the most popular types of visitor attraction

Advantages of Scottish tourism

Factors that continue to attract millions of visitors to Scotland each year include:

  • world-class visitor attractions, festivals and other events
  • sites of outstanding natural beauty, lying within a short distance of vibrant, cosmopolitan cities
  • cultural, heritage and scenic destinations which offer a wide range of facilities and activities

Scotland’s position as a first-rate tourism destination creates further opportunities for Scottish companies to take advantage of. Areas of potential development include:

  • Outdoor activities, such as country sports and golf
  • Cultural visits and ancestral tourism
  • City breaks
  • Business tourism
  • Eco-tourism
  • Food tourism and a worldwide interest in Scottish whisky