Domestic sentiment tracker 

1. Executive summary

The latest report for Scotland is based on data collected from fieldwork conducted between July and October 2024. It reports on intended UK trips for November 2024 to March 2025.

The key findings of the domestic sentiment tracker can be summarised as follows:

• The cost-of-living crisis concerns have worsened following the July election, particularly among older life stages. They have a perception that lower disposable income is to come.
• Despite cost-of-living concerns, older life stages are still travelling, and keen to continue doing so. They are looking to spend less on holidays, rather than not taking them.
• Travel behaviour has remained relatively stable irrespective of cost-of-living concerns.
• Despite average booking levels, there is strong commitment to visiting Scotland this winter.
• Holiday focus has shifted more towards "relaxation" and "quality time" (but walking / hiking is still key).

The impact of the cost-of-living crisis

The cost-of-living crisis continued to have a big impact in October 2024, with 1 in 5 "hit hard".

Following the UK election in July, there has been an increase in the proportion feeling the worst is yet to come, with nearly half feeling the worst is still to come in October 2024. Attitudes towards the October budget will determine how this changes over the next few months.

Older independents and retirees were even more pessimistic. They also showed an increase in feeling they have been hit hard or are being cautious since the election. This is likely a result of the winter fuel allowance changes.

Families and those with a high household income are less pessimistic and also less likely to report having been affected by the crisis.

Despite the continued air of pessimism around cost-of-living, there are some reasons to be more positive than in previous months.

Financial barriers to travel are falling. 28% cite "rising cost-of-living as a barrier to domestic travel" as of October, compared with 33% at the same point last year. 18% point to "rising costs of holidays" as a barrier, compared to 26% a year earlier.

We also see an increase in the proportion anticipating taking a longer trip this winter. 45% are planning a trip of over four nights, compared to 38% in 2023.

The impact of the cost-of-living crisis on travel intentions

"Rising cost of living" continued to be the leading barrier to taking a domestic trip. Within which, "accommodation" is the main individual cost barrier. As a result of these barriers, the main ways people expect to moderate their domestic trip spending by doing the following:

• "choosing cheaper accommodation"
• "spending less on eating out"
• "looking for more free things to do"

Around one in three also expect to cut back by taking fewer or shorter domestic trips. One in four expect to do so by travelling off-peak.

The impact of the cost-of-living crisis is perhaps evidenced by the large "intention gap". This is the difference between intended trips and trips taken. This has been a consistent feature of the last two years of research.

When non-trip-takers were asked why they did not take a domestic trip in the last 12 months, squeezed finances were front and centre.

Intentions to visit Scotland

Looking forward to the winter (November 2024 to March 2025), Scotland was the joint sixth most preferred destination to visit, despite it being the top destination for current residents.

Consistent with previous reporting, actual bookings for Scotland winter trips were below other destinations. Around a third had decided to go to Scotland, but were yet to book.

The low bookings were particularly high amongst non-Scotland residents (who made up a majority of Scotland intenders). This suggested they were particularly in need of support.

Despite this, commitment to visiting Scotland was second only to the North West of England. Nearly two thirds said they were very committed to taking the trip.

The life stage profile of Scotland winter 2024 intenders was made up of more older independents and retirees, and fewer families, compared to the profile of all UK intenders.

Destination types

Consistent with previous reporting, the Highlands and Edinburgh were the two most preferred destinations in Scotland, followed by the Glasgow, the west coast and the Scottish isles.

Also consistent with previous research, non-Scotland residents were more likely than Scotland residents to plan on visiting Edinburgh.

Motivations for Scotland trip intenders (November to March 2025)

"To get away from it all and have a rest" and "family time or time with my partner" were the leading motivations for a short break or holiday in Scotland. "Walking / hiking" and "trying local food" dominated the planned activities.

Accommodation for Scotland trip intenders (November 2024 to March 2025)

"Hotel / motel / inn" was the number one accommodation type for intended trips to Scotland in the winter. This is followed by "rented house or similar", a trend also seen across the rest of the UK.

3. Methodology

The study uses a monthly online survey based on a UK nationally representative sample of 1,500 adults aged 16 and over. The sample is then boosted in Scotland to ensure sufficient base sizes for separate national analysis.

In total, 1,750 surveys are completed, of which 250 are Scotland residents. The study is conducted by BVA BDRC. The latest Scotland report aggregates the results from waves of fieldwork conducted between July to October 2024.

Further information on the methodology is available within the PDF report to download.