‘Staycation’ tourism drive adds £90m to economy

VisitScotland hailed the estimated extra economic benefit as the “best ever result” for a campaign targeted at cash-strapped Brits who have decided to take a holiday in the UK.

The “Surprise Yourself” campaign, which cost £3.5m, was launched in March with a television advert, website and Scotland-wide marketing activity, including a range of money-saving vouchers. The report comes on the back of the latest set of figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which found that domestic visitors to Scotland in the first half of the year were up 6 per cent to 5.9 million, the strongest growth in the UK.

The benefits of the staycation trend to Scotland echoes that of a recent report by PKF, which found that the overall occupancy rate north of the Border of almost 90 per cent in August outshone London, with Edinburgh boasting the highest rooms yield in the UK.

However, spending by overseas visitors to Scotland slumped by 17 per cent in the same period, according to figures released earlier this month.

The number of foreign visitors dropped by 78,000, down 8 per cent compared with the same period in 2010. The UK, meanwhile, enjoyed a 5 per cent rise in both the number of foreign visitors and how much they spent.

The UK is Scotland’s strongest tourist market, accounting for 84 per cent of all trips north of the Border. A spokeswoman for Visit-Scotland insisted that the £90m figure was based on “additionality”, related directly to the effects of the marketing campaign.

She said: “If they were coming anyway, we don’t count it. It is only the people who came to Scotland as a result of our marketing activity [that are counted].”

VisitScotland added that the adverts had been “extremely well received”, with a survey revealing that 70 per cent of people found the adverts more “emotionally engaging” than previous campaigns created by the tourism body.

Mike Cantlay, chairman of VisitScotland, said: “We are delighted with the results for ‘Surprise Yourself’. This is clear evidence that the staycation trend is far from over and we hope that the campaign will continue to inspire potential visitors and locals alike to explore the fantastic things to see and do in Scotland.”

Finance secretary John Swinney said the ability to capitalise on the staycation trend would continue to benefit Scotland’s tourism industry in coming years, as major sporting events such as the 2012 London Olympics take place.

“The Scottish Government and VisitScotland are working hard to position Scotland as a first-class destination for business and leisure tourism,” said Swinney.

“This positive news follows on from the latest ONS figures which show Scotland has seen a 6 per cent increase in domestic visitors in the first six months of 2011, compared to the same period in 2010, and a 13 per cent increase in expenditure.

“More than 80 per cent of Scotland’s visitors come from the UK and the further strengthening of this market is very encouraging as we move into the ‘winning years’, which aims to capitalise on the huge economic opportunities that lie ahead, including the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, Homecoming 2014, Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup.”

Earlier this month VisitScotland shelved its tourism industry “Oscars” in favour of four smaller regional lunchtime events. The Scottish Thistle Awards are being “rested” for 12 months in the wake of a major review of the lavish ceremony, which has been a fixture for the past 20 years.