Overseas tourist spend in Scotland rises to £2.25bn

There was a 14.3% increase in overseas overnight visits to Scotland — from 3.1 million to 3.5 million — in the 12 months to the end of September, 2018, according to new figures from the UK’s Office For National Statistics (ONS). 

Overseas tourism expenditure in Scotland rose 3.3% to £2.25 billion.

The number of overseas visitors from mainland Europe increased 22%.

In the same period, spending by European visitors in Scotland also registered an increase of 7%, jumping from £1.08 billion to £1.15 billion.

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, said: “I am pleased that Scotland’s tourism industry continues to perform strongly, despite the challenges posed by Brexit.

“The sector continues to attract an increasing number of visitors from the EU and beyond, who come to enjoy our varied heritage and breath-taking natural landscapes – outperforming the UK in attracting overseas visitors.

“Our tourism industry is of vital importance to the Scottish economy. As visitors continue to come to Scotland, spending more time in the country and travelling to more destinations, this is a welcome boost for tourism businesses across all of Scotland. 

“European and international visitors are a huge asset to our tourism sector, economy and wider wellbeing.

“As set out in our recent discussion paper, all the scenarios point to Brexit – and the end of free movement of people – having a damaging effect on the recruitment and retention of EU staff in the tourism sector. 

“We will do all we can to ensure European visitors can continue to travel to Scotland freely and provide the certainty that people and businesses want.”