Official figures have indicated that international tourists have ended up spending about £500 million in Scotland in the second quarter of the year 2016. This amounts to the highest amount of spending of international visitors between April and June, as stated by the ONS or the Office for National Statistics.
But then, the total number of visitors who have been travelling to Spain have declined by 7.5%. The decrease in European tourists is one of the major reasons for this steep decline.
VisitScotland has said that the tourism industry of Scotland has been showing signs of resilience though there has been a constant sense of global uncertainty. The tourism sector of this region feels that the number of visitors have dropped sharply because of the security tensions that have arisen following the terror attacks in Belgium, France and Florida.
But then, the visitors who have been thronging this part of the world, especially from North America are spending quite a lot.
The ONS has stated that overseas tourists had spent about £493 in the second quarter of 2015 that marked an increase of about 9.5% as this year, visitors have been spending £540 this year.
Though the number of tourists have dropped, the government of Scotland has said that they had spent about £276 million.
Fiona Hyslop, tourism secretary said that the fact that the number of international tourists are spending a generous amount of money in Scotland is great news. She added that this proves that the tourism industry of Scotland has worked hard to make Scotland a popular tourist destination. She went on to add that Scotland is quite hospitable and this is one of the main factors that lure tourists who love enjoying the spectacular views and spend time in the region’s restaurants, shops and hotels.
Hyslop said that the regional tourism industry was prosperous despite the economic uncertainty.
About 2,17,000 people are employed in Scotland’s tourism industry.
