“Support Local” Call as Record for 2019 Scotch Whisky Tourism Revealed

The Scotch Whisky industry has urged people to support their local tourism businesses to help the industry recover from Covid-19.

The call comes as new figures revealed that two in every three visits to Scotch Whisky visitor centres in 2019 were from international visitors. A record 2.16m visits to distilleries took place last year, before the pandemic had such a significant impact on international travel.

The annual survey, compiled by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), underlined the importance of Scotch Whisky in Scotland’s tourism offer. With just over a third of the industry’s 68 visitor centres now Covid-secure and open to the public, the industry is encouraging people to support their local tourist attractions and discover new experiences within their local communities.

Interest in Scotch Whisky tourism has grown significantly over the last decade, boosting employment and investment throughout Scotland. Visits have increased by two thirds since 2010, and over 1,200 people are now directly employed in tourism roles at Scotch Whisky Visitor Centres – 10% of the industry’s direct employment in Scotland.

The survey also showed that over £200m has been invested by the industry in Scotch Whisky tourism in the past five years to cater for the increased demand of visitors. In 2019 spending at visitor centres reached almost £85m.

Karen Betts, Scotch Whisky Association Chief Executive, said: “That two in every three visits to Scotch Whisky visitor centres last year were from international tourists shows how popular Scotch Whisky is around the world and what a fabulous entry point it is for tourists discovering Scotland’s fascinating heritage, beautiful landscapes and wonderful food and drink.

“But the figures also underline how hard Scotch Whisky tourism is being hit this year, when international travel and tourism has all but disappeared as everyone plays their part in controlling the spread of Covid-19.  All visitor centres closed in March and although some have now reopened, 2020 is proving to be a very difficult year for tourism.

“Where distillery visitor centres have reopened, what would really help us now is local tourism – from a distillery’s community and from staycationers holidaying in Scotland.  Your support is vital!  And tourists can further support the industry by buying a bottle of whisky when they visit, and so taking a taste of Scotland back home with them. UK consumers are often surprised to learn that £3 in every £4 spent on Scotch Whisky in the UK is collected in tax. The Chancellor can back the industry and support the tourism sector by cutting duty on spirits in the next budget.”

Malcolm Roughead OBE, Chief Executive, VisitScotland, welcomed the survey results, saying: “Scotch Whisky has always been an important part of our tourism offer whether that’s enjoying a dram in our hotels, bars, or restaurants, or visiting one of the many distilleries we have around the country.

“Whilst this year we are unable to welcome all of those we’d like to our shores, we know that we can keep the spirit of Scotland alive and look closely at how we encourage international tourists back when the time is right to do so.“

Marc Crothall, Chief Executive, Scottish Tourism Alliance, added: “These figures highlight the importance of food and drink tourism to the tourism sector as a whole and to the Scottish economy plus the sheer scale of appetite from our international markets and indeed from visitors closer to home.

Recovery will undoubtedly be challenging; we all have a part to play to protect and grow our tourism sector and invest in the clear opportunities ahead, such as whisky tourism, to maintain Scotland’s presence as a global destination.

This year we find ourselves in the most challenging circumstances, beyond anything we could have imagined, but we know that our tourism offering is strong, we also know that there is pent up demand for visitors to come and we need to be ready to welcome as many people from around the world back as possible.

“The coming months show real uncertainty over how businesses will fare.  It is more important than ever that all partners in our visitor economy work together with the support of government to ensure our resilience through to next year and beyond.”

Notes to Editors

• Scotland is home to 128 operating malt distilleries
• Exports were valued at £4.9bn in 2019, with 42 bottles of Scotch Whisky shipped overseas each second
• There are 68 Scotch Whisky visitor centres which are open to the public and a further 8 available to visit by appointment

Top visitor to Scotch Whisky Visitor Centres by origin

*Source: IPS, 2019. Figures may not sum up due to rounding. **Figures based on lower sample sizes. ***Data is a three-year rolling average due to sample size. **** This is the equivalent share recognising that some visitors will visit more than one Scotch Whisky Visitor Centre.

Top Visitor Attractions in Scotland

Source: ALVA visitor attraction survey 2019[1]. *Paid for attractions. **Not part of the ALVA visitor attraction survey.

[1] https://www.alva.org.uk/details.cfm?p=423