Tourism in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire is a 365-day a year industry and one of Scotland’s most important.
In fact, in a survey of Scottish residents it was named as the most important.
It is an economic and social powerhouse, contributing significantly to the economy of the region and is a force for good in so many ways. It sustains communities, creates jobs and attracts investment – helping to support the vibrancy and vitality of towns and cities right across the country.
Tourism before Covid
Pre-pandemic, in 2019, there were 1.3 million overnight visits, 14.6m day visits, 4.4m nights spent in accommodations and £856 million of total spend in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray Speyside.
While the challenges facing Scottish tourism post-pandemic have been well documented, interest in Scotland has remained incredibly strong. People still want to travel and Scotland is very much on their wish lists.
VisitScotland is steadfast in our support of local tourism, Our focus is on marketing, business support and working closely with VisitAberdeenshire and other partners to promote Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire as a year-round destination – inspiring and influencing visitors at those crucial early planning stages, using the channels we know they use.
People still want to travel and Scotland is very much on their wish lists.”
Our job is made easier thanks to Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire’s outstanding tourism offering, and the dedicated and passionate people behind it. It was great to see some of those leading lights recognised at the Aberdeen City and Shire Thistle Awards.
The strong recovery of international visitors to Scotland was one of 2023’s success stories. Many of our key overseas markets have now almost equalled, and in some cases surpassed, 2019 levels. Overseas holidaymakers tend to stay longer and spend more.
We aim to build on this global interest when our flagship travel trade show, VisitScotland Connect, returns to P&J Live in Aberdeen on April 17-18. Registration is open now for eligible businesses.
EventScotland funding programmes in 2023 supported Aberdeen Mela, which celebrates cultural diversity across the north-east, and Spectra – Scotland’s Festival of Light.
Other highlights of 2023 across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire include some of the incredible events and festivals, many of which welcomed soaring visitor numbers.
The newly-opened mountain bike centre Tarland Trails 2 welcomed thousands of visitors over the summer, further demonstrating the huge potential for Aberdeenshire to fulfil its ambition of becoming a leading adventure tourism destination.
Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire welcomed an influx of overseas visitors due to the arrival of new cruise lines into the Granite City.
The return of international visitors is especially important while the domestic market adjusts to the cost-of-living challenges.
Latest insights suggest concerns around rising costs are impacting domestic recovery.
Consumers are booking later or having to adjust their trip to suit their financial needs; saving money on shorter trips, booking different accommodation or forgoing eating out or visiting places as much as they may have previously. This is having a knock-on effect on businesses.
Domestic tourism under pressure UK-wide amid cost of living crunch
But this is not a problem unique to Scotland. Domestic tourism across the UK is facing the same challenges.
We continue to promote regional and seasonal spread, inspiring visitors to discover lesser-known parts of our region and consider travelling at other times in the year. We are working with partners such as Expedia, ScotRail, LNER and Historic Environment Scotland to help amplify this message, along with local partners, such as VisitAberdeenshire.
Our Great Days Out campaign has pulled together some of the best offers from across the country to help families get out and enjoy Scotland this winter, complementing VisitAberdeenshire’s Make a Day of It campaign, which encouraged visitors to explore more of Aberdeen in the autumn.
Turning our focus to 2024, there is much to look forward to, including the reopening of two of Aberdeenshire’s iconic castles – Braemar and Craigievar – after extensive restorations.
In Aberdeen, both the Maritime Museum and Tolbooth Museum will also reopen following maintenance and restoration respectively.
And the start of work on the new Union Street Market will provide another welcome confidence boost for Aberdeen.
A little further ahead, momentum is building around a number of major projects and events in the region. The multi-million-pound investment in Macduff Marine Aquarium and Peterhead Cultural Quarter has the potential to be transformational for these coastal communities, while the promise of a North East Highland Way is an exciting prospect.
Aberdeenshire is one of the few places where you can ski, mountain bike and surf all in the same day and is fast developing a reputation as an adventure tourism destination.
The North East Adventure Tourism programme continues to drive new investment in support of the region’s adventure tourism sector. And anticipation is building ahead of the return of the Tall Ships Races to Aberdeen in 2025.
It has also been fantastic to see people enjoying the Aberdeen Winter Festival and Christmas village again. It has drawn visitors, both locally and from further afield, into the city.
‘Cosmopolitan destination’
Aberdeen is gradually moving away from its image as solely an oil-focused city, to become a cosmopolitan destination with key arts and cultural attractions and festivals.
With rich local provenance, including incredible local seafood and strong agritourism links, the region has a host of amazing food and drink experiences.
We strive to provide a quality experience for everyone who visits this region, but we also need to keep on talking up tourism to make sure we all get the most benefit from this fantastic industry.
David Jackson is an Aberdeen-based regional director with tourism body VisitScotland.
Conversation