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Tourism: It's more than a holiday – it's a force for good

Tourism is an economic and social powerhouse for Scotland. It creates jobs, sustains communities and enhances the wellbeing of everyone who takes a holiday at home. It's more than a holiday – it's a force for good.

Our sector continues to face severe economic challenges. With a rise in the cost of doing business, it's having a significant impact. With the right support, tourism and events can lead economic recovery and boost inward investment where it's needed most.

Tourism is important to the economy, to the wellbeing of our country and to the development of a sustainable future.

Join us in shouting about tourism being a force for good. Let's celebrate our sector by telling your stories and successes and applauding your staff. Use #TourismForceForGood

In this article:

1. Working in tourism

We've created 'Working in Tourism', a series of videos to support the staffing crisis across Scotland’s tourism industry. Through these videos we also want to show the diverse range of jobs and encourage people to work in tourism.

Each video case study focuses on the individuals who work in the sector. These inspirational stories show how working in tourism can be exciting and rewarding.

We’re calling on people who work in the sector to share what they love most about their job. Let us know if working in tourism has affected your life in a positive way.

Gallery item 0 Sarah Heward, Real Food Café Gallery item 1 Bridgeen Mullen, Clydeside Distillery Gallery item 2 Association of Scotland's Visitor Attractions

How can you get involved?

All tourism businesses in Scotland can list their vacancies on the CareerScope jobs portal. This helps recruit new talent as the jobs are then available to all CareerScope users. Those with profiles will match with suitable advertisements within the jobs section.

We’d encourage you, as far as possible, to list the roles as flexible and not requiring experience, to encourage applications from young people.

Go to the CareerScope jobs portal
Chef Jamie Nicolson arranges four plates of food Loch Fyne Restaurant and Oyster Bar

2. What are the economic benefits of tourism?

Having an informed outlook is vital for the tourism and events industry in the face of a changing economic climate.  

We publish a wealth of research to help better inform businesses about these challenges, and what this could mean for your business.  

Our most recent UK residents holiday sentiment tracker for 2023 is now available. 

3. What are the wellbeing benefits of tourism?

The trend for wellness has grown over the last few years and the importance of this trend continues to increase.

Businesses have adapted, developing new innovative products centred around this trend. These encourage visitors to enjoy our natural landscapes, peaceful rural areas and green urban spaces.

Wellbeing research

Take a look at our research detailing the growth in the wellness tourism sector.

Why people choose Scotland

Insights and information on what motivates visitors to choose Scotland as a destination.

Read More

Wellness

Our natural landscapes, outdoor activities and cultural attractions offer a wealth of ways to feed the body, mind and soul. Find useful insights on wellness tourism.

Read More

Coastal tourism

Coastal and seaside destinations are a vital part of Scotland’s tourism offering. On this page, you can find useful insights on visits to coastal locations.

Read More

4. Malcolm Roughead on LinkedIn

Read more on our LinkedIn page from our Chief Executive, Malcolm Roughead, on driving growth in tourism.

Go to our LinkedIn page
Malcolm Roughead OBE, VisitScotland Chief Executive

Related links

The cost of doing business

Find advice and support to help your business during the cost of doing business crisis. Includes how to reduce costs, and where to find help.

Jobs and careers

We want the world to know how amazing a visit to Scotland can be. So whether it's visitors or employees, we know a thing or two about making people…