Our target markets

National and international markets

The UK remains our biggest market and is of great importance to us, representing 76% of overnight trips and 48% of overnight tourism spend (2023). We market Scotland to this domestic holiday market. In doing so, we base our strategy on wide-ranging and detailed consumer information.

International markets are also extremely important to Scottish tourism. They deliver considerable value to the visitor economy.

Overseas visitors tend to stay longer than domestic ones and their total expenditure during their visit is higher. In 2023, 24% of the total number of overnight trips made to Scotland were by foreign visitors. But this share provided around 52% of total expenditure (2023).

Why are travel intermediaries important for our target markets?

Travel intermediaries like tour operators and online travel agencies (OTAs) play a crucial role. They provide holidaymakers with the information they need to choose a destination and plan their trip.

More than half of international visitors use travel intermediaries to plan and book their holiday. Our targeted intermediary marketing programme forms a key part of our marketing strategy.

To help grow our markets sustainably, part of our activity is educating and inspiring travel intermediaries. This helps generate sales and profiles Scotland’s developing product offering. It also encourages intermediaries to feature Scotland ahead of competitor destinations.

It allows us to support the tourism industry in its aspirations to internationalise. But it also lets us attract visitors from international markets.  

We also work closely with our partner organisation VisitBritain. Their teams market the UK across key growth markets in collaboration with national organisations.