Visit Scotland | Alba
Article published 17/08/2023

Increase in day visits in Scotland

New figures published today (17 August) reveal that day trips to Scotland rose in the first quarter of the year.

According to the Great Britain Day Visits Survey, the number of tourism day visits in Scotland taken by British residents between January and March was up 12% on the same period last year.

There were 20.6 million tourism day visits taken equating to £1 billion in spend.

The average spend per visit in Scotland was £46 compared with the GB average of £43.

About the survey

  • The Great Britain Day Visits Survey is a national consumer survey measuring the volume and value of domestic day visits taken by residents in Great Britain.
  • The survey provides detailed information about trip and visitor characteristics.
  • The survey is jointly sponsored by VisitEngland, VisitScotland and Visit Wales. The survey is currently undertaken by independent research agency, BMG.

People standing at he top of a hill looking down towards a cityscape during the day

Salisbury Crag in Edinburgh. Credit VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

We know the cost of living is affecting the decision making of UK holidaymakers, so it’s encouraging that Scotland was performing comparatively well with the rest of Great Britain during the first quarter of 2023. It shows Scottish tourism is gradually recovering from the pandemic.

The total number of day trips taken in Scotland between January and March was higher than the same period in 2022 and the £1 billion spent by visitors during the first few months of this year underlines the importance of UK visitors to our wider visitor economy.

Every time visitors – whether here for a day or longer – use a restaurant, order a drink at the bar or buy a souvenir to remember their holiday experience, they are contributing to our valuable visitor economy, in turn creating jobs and sustaining communities. This is vitally important for the long-term recovery of our industry.

Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland Chief Executive

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