Scottish tourism up by 10% over past year

TOURISM in Scotland has increased by 10 per cent in last the year, new figures revealed.

Over 15.7 million tourists visited Scotland last year. Picture: Tony Marsh

With overseas and domestics visitors combined, over 15.7 million tourists visited Scotland last year and spent over £4.9 billion - an increase of 10 per cent from the previous 12 months.

The latest figures released by the Scottish Government also showed a 31 per cent increase in visitor numbers from North America.

The majority of overseas visitors continue to come from Europe, the study showed, with numbers of visitors and expenditure increasing by six and one per cent respectively.

Tourism minister, Fergus Ewing, said: “These figures are hugely encouraging for the Scottish tourism industry as we continue to outperform Great Britain as a whole.

“The rise in both visitors and expenditure show that Scotland is a destination that offers quality experiences and visitors are prepared to spend their money in our hotels, tourism attractions and restaurants.

“Recent figures show Homecoming 2014 generated £136 million of additional revenue to the Scottish economy and we are determined to build on this legacy through other themed years.

“The sustainable increase and expenditure in visitors from North America is hugely encouraging and owes much to the warmth of welcome of our people and our growing international reputation as a place to visit.”

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