Visit Scotland | Alba

Looking for advice and support to start, improve, grow, or promote your business? View our new Business Support Hub.

Go to our Business Support Hub

Overview

  • Tourism is a force for good, creating economic and social value across communities in Scotland.

  • We engaged with our local communities and listened to the views on the ground to conduct research with Scotland's residents.

  • The research was commissioned by VisitScotland and carried out by YouGov PLC.

  • We studied how Scotland’s residents feel about the Scottish tourism industry. We explored their opinion on the role of tourism and the positive and negatives of tourism.

  • Fieldwork took place between 9th and 13th January 2025 and 1,032 respondents completed an online survey. Further information on the sample is available within the full report to download.

Full report - View of Scotland Residents on Tourism 2025

Published April 2025

Download (3Mb)

In this article:

1. Key statistics from the research

91%

agree that tourism bring economic benefits to Scotland as a whole and attracts investment

90%

agree that tourism helps us to develop a positive reputation overseas

77%

agree that tourism helps to conserve and protect Scotland's built heritage

74%

agree that tourism helps sustain local communities

2. Executive Summary

Overall views on tourism

  • When asked about all sectors across Scotland, 95% of respondents viewed the tourism sector as one of the top 3 most important industries to the Scottish economy.
  • The tourism industry was viewed positively by 91% of respondents, with 44% strongly agreeing that 'the benefits outweigh the negatives'.

Positives and Negatives

  • The top-of-mind benefits about the industry were:
    • it benefits Scotland's hospitality industry
    • economic benefits
    • brings in visitors from outside Scotland
    • showcases the beauty of Scotland
  • The top-of-mind negatives associated with tourism were:
    • reduction in affordable housing because of second homes/holiday rental market
    • increased traffic and congestion
    • increased litter
    • damage to the natural environment 

3. Methodology

The research used an online survey based on a representative sample of Scotland residents. The analysis provides a representative viewpoint of the Scottish adult population. The survey was commissioned by VisitScotland and carried out by YouGov PLC.

Fieldwork took place between 9th and 13th January 2025. Respondents were recruited from YouGov PLC's consumer panel. 1,032 respondents completed the survey.

Related links

About our visitors

Find out who visits Scotland, what they're interested in, and what they're looking for.

Responsible tourism

Find information on responsible tourism in Scotland, and how you can make your business more sustainable.

Latest research

Find signposting to the latest research and insights on tourism in Scotland.