Exchange Rate And Promotions Drive Scotland Tourism Increase

Scotland is seeing record tourism numbers and looking to another big year in 2017—thanks to increased air service, new attractions, marketing and the decline in the value of the British pound. 

The exchange rate in and of itself cuts the cost of a vacation in Scotland by a third over last year, said Richard Knight, Visit Scotland’s director of marketing for the Americas told TMR at a press event in New York last week. The latest numbers show international visits were up 4% through September 2016.  

Knight said the dollar is stronger against the pound than in decades, and there is more air service. Delta is starting a new service out of New York and Norwegian airlines is flying three new routes from regional airports (in New York and New England) with fares starting as low as 69 pounds ($85) one way, he noted. 

And Scotland itself has several new initiatives in the works: 

• 2017 is the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, with a focus on historic landmarks, ancient archaeological sites and sites of major events. That will be followed in 2018 by “Scotland’s Year of Young People” with future “years” celebrating the country’s coasts (2020), and storytelling tradition (2022). “In Scotland,” said Knight, “you are never more than 40 miles from the sea and we always have stories to tell.” 
• A marketing campaign aimed at attracting millennials, who he called “elusive unicorns” (unicorns being the national animal of Scotland.). 
• Building on the year-old “Scotland Spirit” campaign that allows visitors to post their own experiences and adventures on the Visit Scotland website. 
• A North Coast 500 promotion that promotes a 500-mile drive along the coast of Scotland from which travelers can dip into the inland to visit distilleries, play golf, visit castles, etc. It starts and ends in the city of Inverness. 
• Significant expenditures on infrastructure – hotels, resorts, convention centers and more – “so that there is always something new in Scotland to be experienced, even for those who have been there before.”

Scotland is an appealing destination in part because of what it does not have. “We are the same size as England, but with a tenth of the population, so there is no traffic or crowds. At a time when people are seeking memorable experiences, we offer a seaplane over Loch Lomond or a Michelin restaurant on the Isle of Skye (the country’s restaurants boast a total of 13 Michelin stars). We are vastly underpopulated and underpriced.”  

There are also 125 whisky distilleries, 700 golf courses, and castles galore. “We were playing golf 250 years before anyone else,” he said.