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Visit Scotland | Alba

Overview

  • Insight on tourism in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray Speyside is available from a range of different sources. These include tourism monitors, national statistics, and commissioned research.
  • On this page, you will find key data for the area. There are also links to further information regarding a particular source or study.
  • In 2023, there were a total of 1.35 million overnight tourism visits to Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray Speyside and a total overnight tourism spend of  £410 million.

1. Key statistics (overnight tourism)

1.35 million

total overnight visits by international and domestic visitors in 2023

6.93 million

total nights spent in accommodations by international and domestic visitors in 2023

£410 million

total overnight spend by international and domestic visitors in 2023

£305

average overnight visitor spend in 2023

Figures shown represent tourism performance for Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, and Moray Speyside in 2023 (numbers have been rounded). Sources: International Passenger Survey 2023, Great Britain Tourism Survey 2023.

Domestic overnight tourism

Region Domestic visits Domestic nights Domestic spend
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray Speyside 1,067,000 3,827,000 £252 million

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey, 2023
Do you want to see this data as a graph or view past year figures?

View graphs and data on tourismobservatory.scot

International overnight tourism

Region International visits International nights International spend
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray Speyside 278,000 3,105,000 £158 million

Source: International Passenger Survey, 2023 

Do you want to see this data as a graph or view past year figures?

View graphs and data on tourismobservatory.scot

Employment and economic performance

Local Authority Tourism employment in 2022 Tourism employment as % of all employment Tourism businesses in 2023 Tourism businesses as a% of all businesses Tourism Turnover in 2021 Total tourism GVA per head in 2021
Aberdeen City 10,000 8.6% 555 7.2% £353 million £17,890
Aberdeenshire 8,000 5.4% 680 5.4% £224 million £14,661
Moray 3,500 7.9% 310 9.9% £96 million £15,778

Source: Scottish Growth Sector Statistics, December 2023

Do you want to see this data as a graph, a time series or access a data file (CSV)?

View graphs and data on tourismobservatory.scot

2. Scotland Visitor Survey 2023

In 2023, we commissioned the Scotland Visitor Survey to gather insight on visitor attitudes and behaviours. The scope of the survey was leisure overnight visitors only.

The survey explores all aspects of the visitor experience in Scotland. Further information on the background, methodology, and key highlights from the survey is also available.

Browse Scotland Visitor Survey 2023.

The visitor survey also allows us to explore the experiences of visitors who stayed overnight in a specific area.

Profile of overnight visitors to Aberdeen

41%

were domestic visitors

59%

were international visitors

64%

were repeat visitors

15%

were on a trip of a lifetime

Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2023

Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 - Aberdeen factsheet

Published June 2024

Profile of overnight visitors to Aberdeenshire

71%

were domestic visitors

29%

were international visitors

80%

were repeat visitors

8%

were on a trip of a lifetime

Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2023

Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 - Aberdeenshire factsheet

Published June 2024

Profile of overnight visitors to Moray Speyside

84%

were domestic visitors

16%

were international visitors

91%

were repeat visitors

3%

were on a trip of a lifetime

Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2023

Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 - Moray Speyside factsheet

Published June 2024

3. Methodology

The data published on this page is sourced from a number of different studies.

Great Britain Tourism Survey

Jointly sponsored by VisitEngland, VisitScotland and VisitWales. The sample size for Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray Speyside was 112.
Browse more information on domestic overnight tourism to Scotland.

International Passenger Survey

Carried out by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). VisitBritain, VisitScotland and VisitWales are sponsors of the survey. The sample size for Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray Speyside was 240.
Browse more information on international tourism performance.

Scotland Visitor Survey

Commissioned by VisitScotland. The sample size for Aberdeen was 266, Aberdeenshire 233 and Moray Speyside 74.
Explore details from the Scotland Visitor Survey.

Scottish Growth Sector Statistics

Read details on industry statistics on gov.scot.

4. Additional research resources

More research and insights for the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire region.

Related links