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Scotland's National Tourism Statistics

Information to help you use the national tourism statistics

What are the national statistics?

The national statistics are data that is gathered, analysed and presented to enable policy development at a national level, and made available to tourism stakeholders to enable decision making and planning.

In Scotland, there are 4 sources of national tourism statistics:

• The Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS)
• The Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS)

The International Passenger Survey (IPS)

• The Scottish Accommodation Occupancy Survey (SAOS)

The Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS) and The Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS) 

Managed collaboratively by VisitEngland, VisitScotland and VisitWales, these are Great Britain-wide consumer-focussed surveys. Information is gathered from a representative sample of British residents, and the results are then analysed and reported for both Great Britain and each of the nations.

The GBTS collects data on overnight trips (including holidays, business, or visiting friends and relatives). It measures the volume and value of overnight domestic trips taken by residents and provides detailed information about the trip and the visitor characteristics.

The GBDVS collects information on “day visits” as defined by the survey. 

Important note - Changes to GBTS and GBDVS methodologies

Since January 2011, all results are based on residents of Great Britain only. Information on trips in Northern Ireland is collected separately, and you can find it through the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

In 2019, alongside our partner organisations, Visit England and Visit Wales, we reviewed the GBTS and GBDVS survey scope and methods. This provided an opportunity to strengthen the consistency between the two surveys, review the questionnaires, and transition the GBTS method from offline to online. (Prior to 2020, the survey interviews for the GBTS were carried out face-to-face.)

Since 2020, the GBTS and GBDVS have been combined into a single questionnaire collected through a fully online representative panel. The annual sample size is 60,000 split by the representative population size of the GB nations.

Each respondent is asked about any overnight trips they have taken in the 4 full weeks prior to their date of interview and about any day visits that they have taken in the full week prior to their date of interview.

The International Passenger Survey is a continuous survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Data is collected at all major air, sea and tunnel ports, through anonymous face-to-face interviews.

The survey is conducted with a random sample of passengers as they enter or leave the UK. It provides detailed information on how often people travel to and from the UK, and also what type of visit they’ve made. 

The data is published by ONS on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis. VisitBritain provides analyses of the data for the UK and also the nations including Scotland. 

Scottish Accommodation Occupancy Survey (SAOS)

Data on occupancy in Scotland’s tourism accommodation sectors is gathered and analysed through the Scottish Accommodation Occupancy Survey. This is commissioned by VisitScotland and carried out by the Moffat Centre.  It looks at a number of sectors, including: Hotels, Guest Houses and Bed and Breakfasts, Self catering, Hostels, Camping and Caravanning.

Businesses opt-in to provide their occupancy details through an online portal. This allows them to benchmark themselves against others in the industry and see how they are performing.

The richness of the data and analyses provided by the SAOS is dependent on the number of businesses participating, so accommodation businesses are strongly encouraged to opt-in and submit their data.

Full details are available from the visitscotland.org website (external link)

Accessing the national statistics

As well as the data and analyses included on the Observatory website, you can find the national statistics on the following websites

VisitScotland.org Research and Insights - analyses and insights (link to external website)

Statistics.gov.scot - datasets to view and download (link to external website)

VisitBritain.org - IPS data and analyses (link to external website)

VisitBritain.org - About the IPS (link to external website)

Office for National Statistics - IPS datasets to view and download (link to external website)

Please also see information on the impact of COVID-19 on data and statistics

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Tourism in Scotland: the economic contribution of the sector

A report commissioned by the Tourism Leadership Group setting out economic data and trends on tourism across Scotland.

Chapter 2: The Value of Visitors to Scotland [4]

Young travellers at Pittenweem Harbour, Kingdom of Fife.

2.1. As a long-established, mature destination, Scotland has been a popular choice for visitors from the UK and Europe for decades.

2.2. In recent years, tourism has become one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world. Inbound tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) grew to over 1.2 billion in 2016, an increase of 46 million (3.9 per cent) on the previous year. International tourist arrivals worldwide are forecast to increase by 3.3 per cent a year between 2010 and 2030 to reach 1.8 billion by 2030 [5] .

2.3. The UK ranks highly in terms of global tourism destinations, being 8th in the world for international tourist arrivals (34.4 million) and 5th for tourism receipts ( US $ 45.5 billion) [6] . Although London receives over half of international visitor numbers and spend within the UK , Scotland also generates a substantial portion of the UK ’s attraction, with 7 per cent of international trips to UK and 8 per cent of spend [7] .

Infographic:

Infographic Text: Over 2.7 Million Overseas Visitors Came To Scotland In 2016 – Up 17% Since 2011

Visitors to Scotland

2.4. Tourism in Scotland includes overnight visitors from other parts of Scotland, the rest of the UK , or from overseas. It also includes people making day visits to different parts of Scotland, either from other parts of Scotland or across the UK .

2.5. In 2016, there were almost 14.3 million overnight visitors to Scotland. Visitors from across Great Britain represent the majority of overnight visitors to Scotland. In 2016, there were around 11.5 million overnight visits from across Great Britain, and a further 2.7 million from overseas. There were also 142 million day visits within Scotland in 2016 [8] .

2.6. In recent years, there have been divergent trends within the different sections of the overnight visit market in Scotland. Between 2011 and 2016, total overnight visitor numbers declined by around 9 per cent. This decline in overnight visitor numbers has been driven by visitors from within Great Britain, whose numbers declined by 14 per cent between 2011 and 2016.

2.7. However, over the same period, overseas visitor numbers have increased significantly: between 2011 and 2016, numbers of overseas visitors increased by 17 per cent. Within these, the USA , Germany and France have been the main sources of overseas visitors to Scotland, accounting for over one third of total visitors in 2016.

2.8. Growth in visitor numbers from the USA and Germany have been the drivers of growth in Scotland’s international visitor numbers, as is highlighted by Table 1 on page 9.

Table 1: International Visitors to Scotland, Selected countries, 2011-2016 (thousands)

Source: ONS (2017), International Passenger Survey

2.9. There are also differences between durations of visit between overnight visitors from Great Britain and overseas. The average length of trip for a domestic overnight visitor in 2016 was between 3 and 4 days. Around 38 per cent of overseas visitors stayed for between 4 and 7 nights, while 44 per cent of overseas visitors stayed for longer than this.

2.10. People visit Scotland for a variety of reasons. However, the majority of overnight visitors to Scotland are on holiday. Table 2 below sets out the different shares of overnight visitors by reasons for their stay.

Table 2: Overnight Trips to Scotland, by Reason for Stay [9]

Source: ONS (2017), Great Britain Tourism Survey, International Passenger Survey

2.11. Edinburgh is the most popular location for trips in Scotland, both for visitors from within Scotland, Great Britain and from overseas. In 2016, Edinburgh and the Lothians was the destination for 42 per cent of overseas visitors’ overnight trips, followed by Greater Glasgow and Clyde Valley (18 per cent) and Highlands and Islands (14 per cent).

2.12. cotland has a number of popular visitor attractions. Both the National Museum of Scotland and Edinburgh Castle exceeded 2 million visitors in 2017, making them the most visited attractions outside of London [10] . Box 1 below gives an overview of recent trends in Scotland’s visitor attractions.

Box 1: Visitor Attractions in Scotland

Scotland has a varied and diverse range of visitor attractions across the length and breadth of the country. These include UNESCO World Heritage sites; iconic, world-renowned historical attractions like Edinburgh Castle; important wildlife and natural heritage attractions; cutting-edge cultural attractions; and those that showcase Scotland’s status as the home of both golf and whisky. Scotland’s diverse visitor attractions make an important contribution to Scotland’s tourism sector.

Table B1 gives details of the most popular attractions across Scotland:

Table B1: Most Visited Attractions in Scotland, 2017

Source: Moffat Centre (2018), Scottish Visitor Attraction Monitor 2017

Data from the Moffat Centre also suggests that in 2017, visitor attractions in Scotland experienced a 7.0 per cent increase in visitor numbers compared to 2016.

Attractions in Greater Glasgow and the Clyde Valley and Edinburgh and the Lothians received the greatest number of visitors (almost 21 million and over 17 million respectively), while substantial growth in visits were seen in attractions in areas like Aberdeen & Grampian (up over 13 per cent) and Orkney (up 14 per cent). Outdoor and Nature Attractions and Museums and Art Galleries were the most popular types of attraction (with around 21 million and over 17 million visitors respectively) while substantial growth was seen in visits to Castles/Forts (up 21 per cent to around 5.3 million visitors) and Distilleries, Breweries and Wineries (up over 13 per cent to around 1.7 million visitors). These give an indication of the diverse range of attractions that Scotland has to offer.

Expenditure by Visitors to Scotland

2.13. In 2016, expenditure by visitors to Scotland was valued at around £9.7 billion [11] . Of this, almost half (£4.75 billion) was generated by overnight visitors. Around 61 per cent of overnight expenditure was generated by UK visitors, while around 39 per cent was generated by overseas visitors.

2.14. ince 2011, total visitor spend has increased by 9 per cent in nominal terms, or 1 per cent in real terms, largely driven by a 24 per cent increase in international visitor spend in nominal terms and a 1 per cent increase in spend by UK overnight visitors in nominal terms [12] . Chart 1 below shows the domestic and international spend since 2010.

2.15. Visitors from the USA were responsible for almost £510 million of overseas’ visitors expenditure in 2016 – 28 per cent of the total. Germany (£212 million), Canada (£130 million), Australia

(£102 million) and Italy (£92 million) were the other countries in Scotland’s top 5 markets in terms of expenditure in 2016.

2.16. Table 3 overleaf shows the total visitor spend, number of trips and average spend per trip for 2016. While 61 per cent of spend is generated by UK visitors, they account for 81 per cent of the trips. International visitors account for 19 per cent of trips and 39 per cent of spend.

Infographic Text: In 2016 Almost £4.8 Billion Was Spent By Overnight Visitors To Scotland

Chart 1: International and Domestic Overnight Visitor Spend from 2010 - 2016 (£m, Real Terms)

Sources: ONS (2017), Great Britain Tourism Survey, International Passenger Survey

Table 3: Total Overnight Visitor Spend, Number of Trips and Average Spend in 2016

Sources: ONS (2017) Great Britain Tourism Survey, International Passenger Survey

Chart 2: Overnight Visitor Spend (Domestic & International) by Region (2016) [13]

Source: ONS , Great Britain Tourism Survey, International Passenger Survey

2.17. Chart 2 shows that Edinburgh and the Lothians receive almost one third of all overnight visitor expenditure (32 per cent). Highlands and Islands received 18 per cent of expenditure, while Glasgow received 15 per cent.

2.18. This data helps to illustrate the importance of tourism to both Scotland’s regions, and Scotland as a whole.

2.19. In recent years, while overall numbers of overnight visitors to Scotland have fallen, numbers of overseas visitors have increased substantially, as has the value of expenditure by visitors to Scotland. While Edinburgh and the Lothians receive the largest shares of both visitor numbers and expenditure, overall visitor numbers and expenditure are distributed widely across Scotland. This supports a sector that operates across Scotland, the characteristics of which are described in Chapter 3 .

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Glasgow & the Clyde Valley

Research and insights on tourism in Glasgow & the Clyde Valley.

• Statistics on the volume and value of visitors to individual regions of Scotland are collated from several national surveys. These include the International Passenger Survey, the Great Britain Tourism Survey and the Great Britain Day Visits Survey.
• These national surveys were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated travel restrictions. Prior to the pandemic, three year average figures were produced for individual regions due to some having lower sample sizes on an annual basis.
• We are currently reviewing the full year 2022 data to establish what is feasible at a regional level. It may be that some regions will require to be amalgamated to produce an indication of regional performance until more data is available.
• The latest detailed factsheet available is for 2019. Headline statistics for 2022 are available on page.

Greater Glasgow and the Clyde Valley factsheet 2019

Published December 2020

This report provides a summary of statistics on tourism in Greater Glasgow and the Clyde Valley. It gathers information from a suite of tourism monitors, national statistics and commissioned research.

In this article:

1. key statistics, 2. scotland visitor survey 2023.

3.6 million

overnight trips by International visitors and GB residents in 2022

26.4 million

day trips by GB residents in 2022

14.8 million

nights spent in accommodations by International visitors and GB residents in 2022

£2.4 billion

total spend by International visitors and GB residents in 2022

Figures shown represent tourism performance for Glasgow & the Clyde Valley, 2022. Sources: International Passenger Survey, Great Britain Tourism Survey, Great Britain Day Visits Survey, 2022

We recently conducted the Scotland Visitor Survey. For this, we spoke to overnight leisure visitors at 135 sampling points across Scotland. The survey gathered insight on

• motivations for visiting
• experiences in Scotland
• how visitors rated aspects of their trip

Where we had a robust sample size we looked at the data at a regional level.

Regional factsheets will be available in spring 2024.

Scotland's regions

Tourism research and statistics.

We provide factsheets for Scotland, broken down across 16 different regions.

Related links

Visitors from the uk, domestic sentiment tracker , international visitors, visitor interests and activities.