Canada and US lead way as tourism figures soar 6 per cent

‘Welcome boost for economy’

TOURISTS visiting Scotland from Canada and the US rose almost a fifth in a year – helping drive a 6 per cent increase in overseas visitors, figures reveal.

The number of overseas visits to Scotland rose by 155,000 in 2016 compared with 2015, according to a report from the Office for National Statistics.

An 18 per cent spike in North American visitors year-on-year boosted the tourist numbers.

Visitors from overseas spent an extra £155million during their stay, up 9 per cent compared with the previous year.

Scotland’s tourism industry grew faster than the UK as a whole between 2015 and 2016.

Inbound overseas tourism UKwide increased 4 per cent year on year and expenditure rose by 2 per cent. Edinburgh was the most popular UK city with overseas overnight visitors outside London.

Glasgow was sixth most popular, with Inverness twelfth and Aberdeen at 19.

Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: ‘We have seen an 18 per cent increase in the number of visits from North America and welcomed more than 1.6million visitors from across Europe, highlighting the strength of our connections with the US and our neighbours on the continent.

‘Our overseas visitors spent £1.85billion in 2016, a 9 per cent increase on the previous year and a welcome boost for our tourism and hospitality sectors and wider economy.

‘We are committed to working with VisitScotland and the tourism sector to build on Scotland’s reputation as a mustvisit, must-return destination.’