Scotland poor value for four out of ten foreign holidaymakers

Four out of ten international visitors surveyed perceived Scotland as providing poor value for money.

VisitScotland attributed this to the current economic climate and exchange rates.

The figure was much less for UK visitors, with 13% feeling that Scotland offered poor value.

The findings came as part of a survey which found that the friendly welcome of Scottish people and the scenery were listed as the highlights of a holiday in Scotland.

The VisitScotland poll found that 95% cent of visitors from England and Wales said they were likely to book another Scottish holiday, declining to 80% of international visitors surveyed.

Ninety seven per cent of visitors said they were satisfied with their holiday and 96 per cent would recommend the destination.

Ninety per cent stated that their expectations of customer service were either met or exceeded.

Edinburgh, the Highlands and Skye, Loch Lomond and Glasgow were the most popular destinations in Scotland.

The main reasons for choosing Scotland as a holiday destination are the scenery, nature and wildlife and the attitudes of local people, according to the poll.

International visitors are more likely to opt for bed and breakfast or guest house accommodation, with UK travellers preferring hotels. Self-catering facilities were rated the highest for quality and value for money.

A third of all visitors said they were very interested in the local cuisine of their holiday destination. Pubs and bars were the most popular places to eat, with more than two-thirds of those surveyed using them.

Cafes, tea shops and good quality and budget restaurants were popular with more than half of all visitors. Nine out of ten felt that the quality of Scottish food met or exceeded their expectations.

Visitors from the UK favoured short walks, touring, exploring the Scottish scenery and relaxing.

International visitors liked these activities as well as longer walks, visiting castles, historic houses, palaces and museums and visiting local pubs and restaurants to interact with the local people.

The research commissioned by the national tourism organisation covered visitors from England, Wales, Scotland, Germany, France, Italy and Canada between July and September last year.

VisitScotland chief executive Philip Riddle said: “This research is a great endorsement of Scotland’s tourism industry.

“However, we must continue to develop and improve, particularly as we are competing with hundreds of destinations around the world for visitors.

“Understanding our visitors is crucial as we develop the tourism industry in Scotland and will help us to achieve our shared tourism industry ambition of creating a £6 billion industry by 2015.”

He added: “Visitors must be at the heart of everything we do, and this detailed research gives us an invaluable insight into what our customers are looking for.

“This will be useful to us in developing future marketing campaigns, but will also be crucial for tourism businesses in helping them to develop their own businesses.”

by Phil Davies