The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
People beat a path to Perthshire
Desire to ‘get away from it all’ has made the area a popular destination for ‘wellbeing’ tourists
A desire to escape from the trappings and chaos of modern life is propelling more tourists to Perthshire, a new study has revealed.
A survey by VisitScotland shows that people from across the globe are coming to Perth and Kinross in an effort to find some inner peace.
When asked what attracted them to the region, 38% of visitors said they came to “get away from it all” – almost double the amount of people who gave the same reason in a Scottish-wide poll.
The growing trend has been dubbed “wellbeing tourism”.
Elsewhere, golfing – particularly the Old Course at St Andrews – continues to be among the biggest draws for tourists to Fife, with 41% also saying they came for the “history and culture”.
Meanwhile, two-fifths of visitors were motivated to come to Dundee and Angus to visit “a particular attraction”, such as the RRS Discovery and Glamis Castle.
More than a third said they visited the area to see friends and family, while “scenery and landscape” was also a top reason.
All Courier Country regions scored well with tourists who said they had visited before and wanted to come back.
The Scotland-wide study was carried out during the summers of 2015 and 2016 by Jump Research on behalf of VisitScotland.
Nearly 12,000 overnight visitors were interviewed nationally, with 3,000 responding to a follow-up online survey on their return home.
The main overseas markets for Tayside and Fife including America, Germany and Australia. Visitors spend more money in Fife, £227m, than in Perth, £196m, and Dundee and Angus, £80m.
Neil Christison, VisitScotland regional partnerships executive, said: “Almost 40% of visitors come to Perthshire to ‘get away from it all’, that’s almost double the national average.
“A growing interest in our physical and mental health has led to increased interest in wellbeing tourism as holidaymakers embrace the chance to take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
“This provides a fantastic opportunity for Perthshire, particularly for businesses in more remote areas, to position themselves as the perfect place to escape the stresses of modern life.”
Piotr Gudan runs the Perthshirebased adventures and activities businesses Outdoor Explore, offering tourists the chance to try their hand at kayaking and paddleboarding.
He said: “The real attraction for this area is that, wherever you are, you are only a short distance away from a peaceful, remote spot where people really can get away from it all.”
The main reason people come to Scotland is the scenery and landscape, followed by its history and culture. Only 19% said they came to Perthshire to visit a particular attraction.
Perth guesthouse owner David Henderson said: “We find that people stop-over in Perth to get to somewhere else. The city needs a real attraction to bring more people in.”