SCOTLAND VISITOR SURVEY 2011 and 2012 SUMMARY OF NATIONAL RESULTS

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1 SCOTLAND VISITOR SURVEY 2011 and 2012 SUMMARY OF NATIONAL RESULTS Overview The Scotland Visitor Survey was conducted for VisitScotland by TNS in July to October of 2011 and Over this period, 3,309 overnight leisure visitors to Scotland were surveyed across 14 regions of Scotland to provide a national picture. In 2011, summer overnight leisure visitors were surveyed in Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Scottish Borders, Highlands & Skye, Cairngorms National Park, Argyll & the Isles and Fife & St Andrews areas. The second year of surveying, 2012, covered Stirling & the Forth Valley, Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park, Aberdeen City & Shire, Angus & Dundee, Perthshire, Dumfries & Galloway and Ayrshire and the Isle of Arran. This factsheet summarises the combined results of the 2011 and 2012 research. Further fact sheets containing results for each region included in either 2011 or 2012 are available at The following information relates to summer visitors staying overnight in Scotland. The majority of visitors to Scotland describe their visit as purely a holiday or short break (72%) while 1 are on a visit to see friends or relatives. As shown on the right, the largest proportion of visitors describe their trip as touring Scotland (2) while are based in a countryside location, 13% combine city and countryside attractions and are staying with friends and family. Visit type Touring Scotland Visit based in countryside Combining city and countryside Staying with friends or family Staying in city and visiting city attractions An activity break 2 13% The average length of stay in Scotland is 8.6. of visitors stay between 1 and 3, 3 stay between 4 and 7 and 43% stay for longer. A fifth of visitors () include Scotland within a longer holiday which includes other places ( of overseas visitors). of visitors are on their first ever visit to Scotland visit Scotland as part of a longer holiday including other places Average Length of stay Over 7 43% (summer only) Average to 3 4 to 7 3 Average figure shown above is amongst overnight visitors to Scotland

2 The Visitor Experience? Dreaming Top reasons for choosing to visit Scotland include the scenery and landscapes, familiarity with the country, a desire to learn about the country s history and culture, and family connections. Receiving a recommendation to visit and a reputation for friendly people are popular reasons to visit. Scenery/ landscape Been before To learn about history/culture Family connections Recommended Reputation for friendly people 55% 31% More than 6 While over half of visitors started to plan their visit 3 or more in advance (52%), started planning less than 2 weeks beforehand. did not make any bookings in advance. 33% 3 to 6 21% Lead Time 1 or 2 Average planning: time: 16 weeks Average booking time:11 weeks Booking 2 to 4 weeks Less than 2 weeks Did not book Connections to Scotland 6 of visitors had connections with Scotland. Connections were most likely to be through family or friends living in Scotland, or ancestors who had lived in Scotland. Older visitors were the most likely to have connections with Scotland. Any connection with Scotland (NET) Family live here Friends live here Ancestors lived here Lived here previously University/ school here Done business here No connections but visited many times No connections 2 15% 15% 33% (Ex. Scottish residents) 6 Travel Overall half of visitors who live outside of Scotland travelled by car on the longest part of their journey to the country (53%) while arrived by air. 43% of those who flew arrived at Edinburgh airport. UK residents International visitors All visitors Owned or hired 70% 53% 53% 2% 3% 2% Accommodation Hotel (Net) B&B / Guest House Friends / family of visitors to Scotland stayed in a hotel while in Scotland (21% 4 or 5 star, 3 star, 1 or 2 star). Other popular types of Self catering Hostel Caravanning Camping Other Second home 5% 2% amongst those staying in Scotland included B&Bs and guesthouses, the homes of friends and relatives, and self catering. B&Bs (3) & hotels (4) were more popular amongst overseas visitors. Around half of Activities visitors to Scotland took part in sightseeing, trying local food, visiting historic houses/castles, shopping, and short walks. Visiting cities, centre based walks, and visits to country parks were also popular. Sightseeing Trying local food Visiting a historic house/castle Shopping Short walks (<2 miles) Visiting cities Centre based walks Country park/ garden % 3 3! Sharing 3 4 of visitors to Scotland shared their experiences online after they returned home with 3 uploading photos (e.g. to flickr) and updating their Facebook status regarding their trip. left reviews on a website such as Tripadvisor. Most visitors ate out out in cafes /tea shops (63%) and pubs and bars (5) during their time in Scotland. 4 ate in good quality restaurants, ate in hotels while ate in budget restaurants. Eating out Cafes/tea shops Pubs/bars Good quality restaurants Hotel/s Budget restaurants Friends / Relatives home Fast food outlets 63% 5 4

3 Quality of Experience Aspects of the Scottish visitor experience most likely to receive a very satisfied rating include all aspects relating to VisitScotland Information Centres, friendly and efficient service in, information available locally on places to visit and useful online information. Less satisfied ratings were recorded for Wi-Fi and broadband access, and mobile phone reception. Satisfaction with different aspects of the visitor experience in Scotland Mean Score Neither/less satisfied Fairly satisfied Very satisfied 4.2 Useful online information Useful offline information Travel Convenient air routes 3.8 Convenient sea routes 2 30% 3.6 Cost of travel 3.9 Public transport Accommodation Availability of low cost 31% 4.2 Availability of good quality Value for money 1 43% 3 32% Friendly and efficient service 52% Activities Information locally on places to visit Value for money of attractions Opportunities to attend local events/festivals Eating out Value for money Availability of local produce 4 30% Local people Opportunities to interact with locals VisitScotland Information Centres 35% Overall satisfaction Ease of finding 13% 4 Welcoming feel 52% 4.5 Friendly & efficient service Availability of useful information 3 55% Internet/mobile reception Availability of mobile phone reception Availability of Wi-FI and broadband access 45% Note: All 3,309 visitors were asked the above questions but data excludes those who provided no responses for aspects they had not experienced. The neither/less satisfied scores includes neither satisfied/dissatisfied, fairly dissatisfied and very dissatisfied scores. Internet/mobile reception aspects were only asked in

4 Quality of Experience 94% of visitors were satisfied with their trip to Scotland overall and 9 will definitely/probably recommend Scotland based on their experiences in Scotland. 8 of all visitors will definitely/probably revisit Scotland in the next 5 years, this proportion varies from 91% of UK residents to 72% of international visitors. Neither/less satisfied Fairly satisfied 21% 94% very/fairly satisfied 73% Very satisfied Overall satisfaction with Scotland 73% of visitors were very satisfied with their overall experience in Scotland while 21% were fairly satisfied. UK visitors were slightly more likely than overseas visitors to provide the highest very satisfied rating (74% v 70%). Repeat visitors were more likely than first time visitors to be very satisfied with their trip (75% vs. 6 respectively). The neither/less satisfied scores includes neither satisfied/dissatisfied, fairly dissatisfied and very dissatisfied scores. Probably Less likely/unlikely 2% 8 Definitely Recommending Scotland The vast majority of visitors would definitely recommend Scotland as a destination to others (8) and probably would. A similar result was obtained amongst overseas and domestic visitors. Those aged (8) and (91%) were most likely to definitely recommend Scotland to others. 9 definitely/ probably Probably/ definitely not Fairly likely Probably 70% Definitely Returning to Scotland in the next 5 years 70% of visitors to Scotland state that they will definitely return in the next 5 years (7 of UK residents compared to from overseas). Those aged were most likely to be definitely intending to visit Scotland in the future (7). 8 definitely/ probably Below are examples of some highlights mentioned by visitors in Below are examples of some improvements suggested by visitors in 2012 'Wonderful scenery, great historical and cultural heritage, nice attitude towards life, very helpful and kind and open people. Lots of information about where you could go and lots of well marked trails. Spectacular scenery. Good friendly service. Quality. Open spaces. 'Transport and could be at a cheaper price. 'Better mobile reception.. Better access to "free wifi" in city public areas, e.g., malls, rail stations, etc. I would like to find more local food in restaurants or pubs The 2011 Scotland Visitor Survey was conducted for VisitScotland by TNS Research International. For further information please contact: VisitScotland, Ocean Point One, 94 Ocean Drive, Edinburgh, EH6 6JH research@visitscotland.com Disclaimer: VisitScotland has published this report in good faith to update stakeholders on its activity. VisitScotland has taken all reasonable steps to confirm the information contained in the publication is correct. However, VisitScotland does not warrant or assume any legal liability for the accuracy of any information disclosed and accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions.

5 Appendix - Using & Interpreting the Scotland Visitor Survey Please use the following as guidance notes when interpreting the Scotland Visitor Survey: The Scotland Visitor Survey was carried out in 2011 and 2012 to gather information from holidaymakers in Scotland on their experiences of Scotland. The survey captured the views of leisure overnight visitors only (this could include Scots spending an overnight trip away from their normal place of residence, as well as UK and overseas visitors). People on a day trip from home, visitors whose main purpose was a business trip and cruise ship visitors were excluded. The Scotland Visitor Survey is a summer only survey, and due to the scale of the project it is not carried out for the full year. As such the results reflect the views of the main holiday season visitors who were in Scotland during June-September. Holidaymakers were recruited at locations in 14 different regions of Scotland (7 included in 2011 and 7 included in The islands groups of Orkney, Shetland & Outer Hebrides were excluded due to a separate visitor survey being undertaken for 2012/13). Between 5-10 locations per region were included to gain a spread of recruitment locations. Those recruited completed an online survey on their return home to allow respondents to provide details of their full holiday experience in Scotland. The main aim of the survey was to gather views on a wide range of topics to supplement data on tourism in Scotland which is gathered by the annual statistical surveys undertaken at a national level (The Great Britain Tourism Survey, which provides volume and value estimates of domestic tourism from within Scotland and the rest of Great Britain and The Office of National Statistics' International Passenger Survey, which provides details of tourism from abroad). The factsheets produced for the Scotland Visitor Survey report on 2 years data for the international markets (2011 and 2012) and one year s data for the regional fact sheets, dependent on the region covered in the fieldwork each year. The Visitor Survey does not gather information on volume or value of tourists to each region. For information on trips, and spend to Scotland or to regions of Scotland, please read the Tourism in Scotland fact sheet and regional fact sheets available on the Research & Statistics section of the corporate website The Visitor Survey is not intended to include visitors who are participating in specific activities as their main purpose of the trip (e.g. visitors in Scotland on specific golfing break who may not be found in the general recruitment locations). Further details of the methodology behind the survey are available within the main presentation slides made available on the Research & Statistics section of the corporate website The Scotland Visitor Survey was conducted for VisitScotland by TNS. For further information please contact: VisitScotland, Ocean Point One, 94 Ocean Drive, Edinburgh, EH6 6JH research@visitscotland.com Disclaimer: VisitScotland has published this report in good faith to update stakeholders on its activity. VisitScotland has taken all reasonable steps to confirm the information contained in the publication is correct. However, VisitScotland does not warrant or assume any legal liability for the accuracy of any information disclosed and accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions.