Tourist surge down to terror, Brexit and ... Outlander

SPECIAL REPORT BY VICTORIA WELDON AND MADDY SEARLE

TOURISM in Scotland has enjoyed a bumper year due to Brexit, terrorist attacks in traditional holiday hotspots ... and Outlander. Some areas of Scotland experienced their best summer season in more than a decade, due to improved flight connections and, according to travel experts, the publicity created by the TV show such as Outlander. Tourism specialists claim the depreciation of sterling after the EU referendum, along with Scotland being seen as a safe destination, is making the country more attractive than ever to travellers.

While Britons are continuing to travel abroad in high numbers, many are also holidaying in the UK. Trade associ- ation UK Inbound said feedback from its members showed 2016 had been very busy for Scotland.

Chief executive Deirdre Wells said: “There are a number of factors influencing this – the depreciation of sterling due to Brexit, the fact that Scotland is seen a safe destination.”

Figures from VisitScotland reveal that in the first quarter of this year international inbound visitors increased by 27 per cent compared to the same period last year, while tourism day visits were 30 per cent higher.

Both Glasgow and Edinburgh airports have seen significant increases in passenger numbers, with international visitors up 9.4 per cent at Glasgow Airport in July.

The number of services in and out of Scotland has also shot up, with Glasgow Airport launching 50 new routes over the last 18 months.

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, said: “From an in- crease in flight connectivity, to promotion of the country through the success of films and TV shows set in Scotland such as Outlander, the opening of new attractions and hotels to the launch of our first global marketing campaign – Spirit of Scotland – there are numerous individual reasons why tourism is performing well.”

The tourism body added that while it is still too early to know the full impact of the EU referendum, “in the short term the low value of the pound could The success of films and TV shows set in Scotland such as Outlander plus an increase in flight connectivity are helping to fuel a boost in tourism be an incentive to overseas travellers”.

Statistics from travel agents’ association ABTA also show that Britons are beginning to take more holidays than previously, often opting for both a break abroad and a UK staycation.

So far this year foreign bookings are up five per cent year-on-year, but there has been a definite shift in terms of destinations, with a decrease in travel to Tunisia, which has seen a 100 per cent slump. Egypt, meanwhile, has dropped 70 per cent and Turkey is down 30 per cent.

Professor John Lennon, director of the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business Development, based at Glasgow Caledonian University, said the impact of terrorism has meant an increase in visitors from other parts of the EU, particularly Germany and the Netherlands.

He added that Brexit has created “a bit of a short-term bump due to currency”. Scotland is also now being seen as the “unique” and “special” destination it is.

“If you’re sitting in Wales just now you must be thinking ‘what are they doing in Scotland?’,” he said. “We’ve got a lot going for us.”

However, despite the current optimism of the industry, almost all tourism experts and bodies warn that the market may eventually suffer due to the uncertainty of Brexit. Lennon said: “Markets dislike uncertainty, and that includes tourism, and there’s still a lot of uncertainty surrounding Brexit.”