New data reveals growth of visitor economy in the South of Scotland as the Deputy First Minister visits the Scottish Borders, meeting business leaders.
With Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes visiting the Scottish Borders, new independent tourism data has been announced showing the development of the visitor economy in the South of Scotland and the impact of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) – the tourism body for the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway.
The latest independent STEAM* figures show that the South of Scotland:
- grew its visitor economy by 20% last year, increasing by £150m, to £911m;
- created 14% more jobs, with 15,652 people now employed in tourism;
- increased visitor numbers by 26%, to over 5 million.
The data shows that the SSDA hit its 2025 Covid recovery targets of having a £750m visitor economy supporting 14,000 jobs, 2.5 years early.
The SSDA, VisitScotland, South of Scotland Enterprise, Dumfries and Galloway Council and Scottish Borders Council, with hundreds of businesses and communities, together co-authored the all-agency 2024-2034 South of Scotland Responsible Tourism Strategy, which was launched in March 2024. The Strategy has unprecedented ambition for the South of Scotland: it will increase the annual economic benefit of responsible tourism in the South of Scotland by £1bn and support a further 6,000 jobs.
The latest STEAM figures announced today show that, in year one of this new strategy, the South of Scotland is already 50% ahead of target and well on course to hitting this £1bn of annual economic growth by 2034.
During a visit to Newtown St Boswells to chair the Convention of the South of Scotland, the Deputy First Minister met with the Chief Executive of the SSDA, David Hope-Jones, as well as other local business owners, to discuss the visitor economy in the South of Scotland.
The SSDA is funded by South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) as well as its 660+ business members. It works to develop the South of Scotland as a world-class visitor destination and support tourism businesses to succeed in a sustainable and responsible way.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “Tourism is vitally important to the South of Scotland economy, supporting hundreds of businesses and thousands of direct and indirect jobs.
“With so many attractions, beauty spots and wonderful landscapes attracting both day trippers and overnight to the region, the South of Scotland Responsible Tourism Strategy is rightfully ambitious.
“This data is an encouraging indication that this ambition can be realised, and we will continue to work with the SSDA, SOSE and partners and businesses across the region to continue showcasing the region as a destination and driving economic and social benefits that come from a thriving tourism sector.”
David Hope-Jones OBE, South of Scotland Destination Alliance CEO, said: “It’s fantastic to see what, together, the South of Scotland can achieve when we all push in the same direction. We have one, clear plan as to how we will support responsible tourism to drive local community and economic benefit. We are investing in that plan and we are now seeing the demonstrable results of this.
“Each £1 that has gone into the SSDA in the last year has resulted in £275 of increased local economic benefit. We are hugely grateful to the Scottish Government and SOSE for their belief and investment in South of Scotland tourism.
“We recognise that there are huge challenges for local businesses, with profitability harder than ever. This is why it’s so important we plan ambitiously, think strategically, work collaboratively, and act decisively. We need to be louder and prouder than ever: telling the world all the South of Scotland has to offer so we attract responsible, high-spending visitors.
“Tourism is everyone’s business. Done well, it provides quality jobs, attracts real investment, and supports the products and services which local communities also enjoy. As the economy contracts, it’s more important than ever that we continue on this course if we want to see sustained economic benefit and community prosperity.”
Karen Jackson, South of Scotland Enterprise’s Director of Strategy, Partnership and Engagement, said: “These figures are very encouraging and reflect the significant hard work which has taken place since the South of Scotland’s tourism and hospitality sector faced the challenges of COVID.
“A partnership approach has been key to this progress, such as the South of Scotland Responsible Tourism Strategy which is key to support and develop our rural visitor economy in a sustainable way.
“We have a collective aim to make our region a world-class visitor destination and SOSE is committed to working with SSDA, VisitScotland, Dumfries & Galloway and Scottish Borders councils and the industry to achieve this goal.”
