INSIGHTS INTRODUCTION
Need to know how inbound tourism is performing? Looking to understand the competitive tourism landscape, uncover trends and the importance of different market sectors? Explore the latest data available through the below reports.
(New reports and insights will be added when they become available)
2025
VisitScotland
Domestic Day Visits Survey
While the volume and value of domestic day visits in Scotland saw a decrease in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024, the full year 2024 showed a slight increase in spend despite a decrease in visits from 2023. Visiting friends/relatives and trips to cities/large towns were consistent trends.
VisitScotland
Domestic Overnight Tourism Survey
Scotland experienced increases in domestic overnight trips, nights, and spending in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024. For the full year 2024, spend increased even as trips and nights slightly decreased from 2023. Visiting friends/relatives was the most frequent trip purpose, though holidays generated the highest spend.
VisitScotland
International Tourism Annual Performance Report
International tourism to Scotland showed strong recovery in 2023, surpassing 2019 levels in visits, nights, and spending. In 2024, international visitor numbers and spend continued to increase, with significant growth in spending compared to pre-pandemic levels (2019). North American and European markets were key contributors to this growth.
VisitScotland
Role of Tourism Study
The vast majority of Scottish residents (95%) view tourism as a crucial industry for the national economy, with 91% holding a positive overall view. While benefits like economic growth and job creation are widely recognized, concerns persist regarding impacts on housing affordability, traffic, litter, and environmental damage, particularly in local tourist areas.
56 degrees Insight
Scottish Tourism Index
Compared with the first four months of 2025, encouraged by better weather in March and April, more Scots have taken breaks in Scotland over this period this year, and looking at the rest of 2025, it is a more optimistic outlook than at the start of the year
56 degrees Insight
Scottish Tourism Index
Compared with the first four months of 2025, encouraged by better weather in March and April, more Scots have taken breaks in Scotland over this period this year, and looking at the rest of 2025, it is a more optimistic outlook than at the start of the year
ATTA
Adventure Travel Trends & Insights report
Offering vital insights into traveler behavior, business performance, sustainability efforts, and market trends in the global adventure travel industry. The report draws on data collected in early 2025 from tour operators, based on their operations and sales during the 2024 calendar year.
The full report is only available for Business and Professional ATTA members but the article gives some valuable insights
2024
VisitScotland
Research & insights on tourism in the Scottish Borders.
Research and insight on tourism in Dumfries and Galloway is available from a range of different sources, including tourism monitors, national statistics, and commissioned research.
On the page, you will find key data for the area. There are also links to further information regarding a particular source or study.
VisitScotland
Research and insights on tourism in Dumfries & Galloway
Research and insight on tourism in Dumfries and Galloway is available from a range of different sources, including tourism monitors, national statistics, and commissioned research.
On the page, you will find key data for the area. There are also links to further information regarding a particular source or study.
Visit Britian
Inbound Tourism Forecast
The annual Visit Britain forecast for the volume and value of inbound tourism to the UK is issued towards the end of each year. It is revised mid-year, after the final official inbound statistics are released.
SSDA
SSDA Member Survey
Which data insights visitor economy businesses want
Scottish Tourism Observatory
Scottish & Global Tourism Performance
The Scottish Tourism Observatory aims to make tourism data for Scotland easy to find and use, and to enrich the data available.
Data covering employment, Accommodation, International visit spend and domestic touurism
VisitScotland
Domestic Sentiment Tracker
VisitScotland's latest tracking research on UK residents' holiday intentions. This includes perceptions relating to the cost-of-living crisis, and industry specific insights.
56 Degrees
Scottish Tourism Index
The January 2024 Scottish Tourism Index provides an overview of how the Scottish home holiday market might look for the year ahead. Some 1,006 Scots were interviewed in late January with the primary purpose of establishing the characteristics of Scots’ holiday-taking attitudes and behaviours
Lighthouse
Short Term Rental Data
Short term rentals data on the supply of short-term rental properties, and the performance of the sector, across the UK. This data is supplied by Lighthouse (formerly Transparent Intelligence), and is derived from listings on Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and Tripadvisor.
2023
Great Britain domestic day trips
Find the latest data on day trips that British residents took in Britain and England – including when they took these trips, for what purpose, their total expenditure and the number of nights they stayed.
GB domestic overnight trips
Access the latest numbers of domestic overnight trips British residents took, when they took these trips, for what purpose, their total expenditure and the number of nights they stayed.
Overseas travel and tourism
Visits to the UK by overseas residents, visits abroad by UK residents and spending by travellers, using provisional passenger traffic data.
The STA/ 56 Degree Insight Results
An online survey with responses from a broad cross-section of Scottish tourism businesses
to quantify the challenges the sector faces as we approach the end of 2023.
2022/ 21
VisitScotland Accommodation
2023 and earlier
Explore research and insights on Scotland's accommodation offering. Monthly reports are available for each accommodation sector for
South of Scotland Segmentation Data.
Yoder Consulting conducted an online survey among 3,440 UK adults (excluding adults in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway) between 31st August and 15th September 2021.
Quotas were set and weights applied in order to ensure the data were nationally representative of adults (18+) in UK
Scottish Visitor Attraction Monitor
(South of Scotland Extract)
The Moffat Centre
80 attraction operators provided total visits figures for both years 2022 and 2021.
