Disney lift for Scots tourism spending

Spending by overseas visitors to Scotland soared by a fifth last year, helped by an increase in direct flights and the popularity of Disney’s blockbuster Brave.

Mike Cantlay, chairman of Visit Scotland. Picture: Julie Bull

While the number of foreign tourists grew by 10 per cent in 2013, having fallen the previous year, the Office for National 
Statistics (ONS) said spending had leapt 20 per cent to £1.68 billion.

VisitScotland chairman Mike Cantlay, pictured, described the figures as “very encouraging” and said the current year’s programme of events, including the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup, “presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to position Scottish tourism on the world stage”.

He added: “Crucial to our success has been attracting more direct flights than ever before to our airports across Scotland.”

Tourism minister Fergus Ewing said the majority of visitors and spending came from Europe, while there was a significant rise in the number of Australian and Indian tourists. He said: “These encouraging figures illustrate the demand from long-haul tourists for holidaying in Scotland. This success is also due to 
the warmth of welcome of the people who work in the tourism industry. Their drive and 
commitment is delivering results.”

The ONS figures showed the number of overseas visitors to the UK as a whole grew 5.6 per cent to a record 32.8 million last year, despite a continued decline in demand from North America.