Key facts about tourism in Scotland

Tourism in Scotland is one of the country’s key industries and makes a significant contribution to its economic prosperity. Over 100,000 people are directly employed in tourism in Scotland, an industry which comprises some 27,000 businesses. Tourism supports a further 100,000 jobs and generates £4.9billion (5% of GDP) annually.

• Year on year, Scotland’s average occupancy rates, average room rates and RevPar rates show the largest uplift across the UK.
• There was a 12.2% increase in international visits and a 17.1% growth in expenditure between 2005 and 2006.
• Further growth is projected in several sectors of the tourism industry in Scotland.
• Business tourism is a fast-growing sector, with Edinburgh and Glasgow both ranked among the top 30 cities in the world by number of conferences.
• Scotland delivers the highest average room rate and RevPar figures in the UK outside London.
• The Visitor Experience 2007 survey found that 97% of those interviewed were satisfied with their recent holiday in Scotland.

Facts and figures specific to the following areas of tourism in Scotland illustrate why the industry is such an attractive location for investment.

• Tourism in Scotland – city hotels
• Tourism in Scotland – resorts
• Tourism in Scotland – spas and resort marinas
• Tourism in Scotland – cultural tourism

Tourism in Scotland – city hotels

• Scotland saw the best hotel performance of all UK countries in 2006/07, with RevPar growth of 8.9%.
• Hotel occupancy rates in Edinburgh will reach almost 80% in 2008, with 4000 more rooms required by 2015.
• Glasgow’s Tourism Strategy targets a minimum growth of 60% in tourist revenue by 2016, which will take the industry into the £1billion per annum bracket.
• Aberdeen had the highest growth of any UK city in 2006/07, with RevPar increasing 18.6% and Glasgow achieving 13.1% growth.
• Inverness has seen an increase in overseas visitors of 10%, taking the total to more than 250,000.

Learn more about city hotels in Scotland

Tourism in Scotland – resorts

• Recent economic impact research suggests that Scotland’s resorts do not suffer from peaks and troughs in resort occupancy rates.
• Scotland has demonstrable success as a year-round destination with up to 90% occupancy rates in existing vacation resorts.
• There are over 20 resorts offering high-quality vacation ownership in Scotland.

Learn more about resort development in Scotland

Tourism in Scotland – spas and resort marinas

• UK residents make almost 14 million spa trips annually.
• Growth in the UK spa tourism sector is anticipated to remain strong over the next decade.
• Scotland’s sailing sector has an estimated tourism spend of over £248million per annum.
• Over 1000 new pontoon berths are either in planning or development at present.

Learn more about investing in the Scottish spas and resort marinas sectors

Tourism in Scotland – cultural tourism

• Around 200,000 ancestral tourists visit Scotland each year, a figure that estimates suggest could quadruple.
• The US is Scotland’s biggest overseas market, with Americans accounting for 14% of overseas visitors.
• The Open golf championship is held in Scotland roughly three times every five years.

Interested in find out more about cultural tourism in Scotland

Find out more about the Scottish tourism industry  and why tourism in Scotland is such an attractive proposition.