Scottish Tourism and COVID-19 | Scottish Parliament

Scottish Tourism and COVID-19

Author: Alison O'Connor

PDF Published: Monday 08 Mar 2021 (SB 21-17)

Scotland attracts around 17.5 million overnight visitors and 134 million day visitors annually, generating £11.6 billion in visitor expenditure.

Image: Figure 1: Visitor trips to Scotland and visitor expenditure, 2019

Twenty five thousand, or 8.1%, of all UK tourism workplaces are in Scotland. Scotland has less micro tourism workplaces but a higher share of small and medium workplaces relative to the other UK nations.

Image: Figure 2: Tourism workplaces across the UK, 2021

Thirteen local authority areas (out of 32) have an equal or greater concentration of tourism jobs than the Scottish national average of 8.8%. Argyll & Bute has the highest share at 18% and West Lothian the lowest at 4.5%.

Image: Figure 3: Local employment share in tourism, 2019

While the whole economy is 7.2% below February 2020 levels of GDP, not all sectors have been impacted equally, as shown in the chart below. Accommodation & food services is by far the worst impacted sector, recording GDP levels over 60% below February 2020 levels in December 2020

Image: Figure 4: Cumulative percentage change in GDP since February 2020 to December 2020 by industry Scotland

looking at historical trends since 2015 to 2020 of accommodation and food services employment. It shows the fluctuating nature of employment related to 'accommodation and food services'. Over the last five years, the lowest level of jobs was 187,000, recorded in December 2016.

Image: Figure 5: Workforce jobs Scotland – accommodation and food service activities – March 2015 to September 2020

Accommodation and food services made up one in four of all those on furlough in Scotland at the end of January 2021. Scotland rate of 'accommodation and food services' employments furloughed as a proportion of all furloughs, was above the UK average but not the highest

Image: Figure 6: 'Accommodation and food services' employments furloughed by numbers and as a proportion of all furloughs, across UK nations & regions, January 2021

Last Updated: 12/7 1:45pm

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