Tourist spend hits £64.5m in Hebrides

The tourism spend in the Outer Hebrides has been estimated to be worth £64.5m, according to a recent visitor survey, after islanders welcomed more than 200,000 visitors to the area last year.

At last Wednesday’s meeting of the comhairle’s sustainable development committee, members were presented the findings of the 2017 Islands Visitor Survey, which show an increase in tourists visiting the islands since the last survey in 2013.

The friendliness of locals, value for money at visitor attractions and quality of local produce impressed the 218,965 people who visited the islands in 2017 – with 82 per cent saying they were ‘very satisfied’ with their experience. However, the poor quality of digital connectivity across the islands, such as mobile networks, wifi and 3G or 4G, was the most significant area of dissatisfaction.

Figures revealed in the survey show the average spend per capita of visitors was £309, up from £245 in 2013, while the average spend for leisure visitors was higher at £344. This gives an estimated value from tourism spend in the Outer Hebrides in 2017 of £64.5m – an increase of 20 per cent since 2013.

Leisure and tourism was the main reason for people visiting the Outer Hebrides last year, up by 14 per cent in four years, while business and work-related trips made up just under 20 per cent. Visiting friends and relatives made up 12 per cent.

Although most of the leisure visits were from people in Scotland (55 per cent), the islands attract people from all over the UK and Europe, while there was a significant proportion of North American tourists to the islands.

Friendliness of local people and standards of accommodation received the highest satisfaction scores in the survey, while the quality and value for money of visitor attractions was commended.