Did you know that as many as one in three people in Scotland are unable to take a holiday due to economic, health or social barriers?
It's our commitment to create an inclusive and welcoming destination for all. We believe that everyone should be able to enjoy all that Scotland has to offer.
Social tourism provides the opportunity for those who are unable to take a break to enjoy tourism experiences.
The impact of these experiences can be life changing, with breaks being known to contribute to improved health and wellbeing.
Social tourism helps to create a more inclusive society. It improves community wellbeing, and holds great potential for the tourism industry.
Social tourism can help tourism businesses to:
support with commitments to corporate social responsibility
increase staff morale by helping to make a difference
It is estimated that an additional 392,000 people in Scotland became unpaid carers as a result of COVID-19, bringing the total to 1.1 million.
Caring for someone can be mentally and physically exhausting. This means that breaks from daily routines are vital for unpaid carers’ health and wellbeing.
It is often difficult for carers to take the time out to fully recharge. It's also hard for them to spend quality time on their own, with the person they care for or other family members and friends.
41%
of carers didn't take a break
26%
of carers didn’t try to take a break because they felt it was too difficult
51%
of carers said that being able to take a break would help them feel less lonely
Get involved in social tourism and help make a difference to the lives of unpaid carers. Businesses can donate a free or discounted break for carers to enjoy through the respitality scheme.
This is a Scottish Government supported project. It's coordinated nationally by our charity partner, Shared Care Scotland. Approved respitality delivery partners deliver it locally.
The scheme lets carers take a break from caring without financial constraints or the stress of planning a break.
Are you interested in being contacted by Shared Care Scotland? Please fill in the form.
We will pass on your details to Shared Care Scotland. They will then contact you to discuss your interest and gather the details of your generous donation.
You can discuss initiatives such as respitality, but also other short break programmes.
Do you have any questions about the form or need an alternative format? Send us an email at inclusivetourism@visitscotland.com.
We have previously partnered with charities to deliver social tourism schemes. These supported low-income families and unpaid carers to benefit from a break in Scotland.
This was part of a post-COVID recovery scheme funded by the Scottish Government. We delivered the scheme in partnership with The Family Holiday Charity and Shared Care Scotland.
Together, they administered the delivery of breaks to unpaid carers and low-income families.
The scheme supported over 10,000 people. They enjoyed a part funded subsidised break or day trip that they otherwise would not have had the opportunity to take.
A total of 3,464 short breaks were taken, broken down into 2,825 carer breaks and 639 family breaks.
Recipients chose from one of 229 participating businesses nationwide. These included accommodations and visitor attractions across Scotland.
The scheme injected £1,273,597 into the sector. But it also boosted regional investment through supplementary tourism spend.
From 2016 to 2019, we ran the ScotSpirit donation programme in collaboration with The Family Holiday Charity. This supported families experiencing disadvantage to enjoy a tourism experience.
It enabled over 1,600 families to enjoy a short break or day-out, with over 6,200 people benefitting from the scheme.