Visitors from the Netherlands

1. Executive summary 2022

In 2022, the Netherlands was Scotland’s fourth largest international source market measured by number of visits. It was fifth by expenditure and sixth by number of nights.

Dutch visitors accounted for 7% of all overseas visits to Scotland and 4% of all overseas spend in Scotland in 2022.

2022 saw travellers from the Netherlands taking more visits to Scotland than ever before. The total number of visits increased by 17% from pre-pandemic levels, reaching record levels.

The average spend per visit in 2022 was £636. The average spend per night was £106.

The average length of stay was 6 nights.

View more graphs and charts on tourismobservatory.scot.

Source: IPS, 2022

2. Scotland Visitor Survey 2023

We are currently conducting a visitor survey across Scotland. We are speaking to overnight visitors here in Scotland and then will follow up on their return home so that we get a full picture of their visitor experience.

As part of this, we will be speaking to a sample of our Dutch visitors. We will be carrying out the research during 2023 and results will be available in 2024.

This research will not gather volume of visitors or spend as this is collected via the IPS. It will gather insight on motivations for visiting, experiences in Scotland and how visitors have rated aspects of their trip.

4. Official statistics and partners

The International Passenger Survey (IPS) is a continuous survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It covers all major air, sea and tunnel ports.

The survey provides information on the numbers and types of visits made by people travelling to and from the UK. Anonymous face to face interviews are undertaken with a sample of passengers entering and leaving the UK.

Find out more on the survey methodology on the ONS website.

Read further ONS publications.

Read how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on the IPS data.