Scotland Visitor Survey returns for 2027

Anticipating the future needs and expectations of our visitors

Understanding why visitors come to Scotland, as well as where they go and what they do, is hugely important.

It helps us anticipate the future needs and expectations of our visitors, ensuring that our activity, expertise and resources provide the greatest support to Scotland’s visitor economy. It also ensures that businesses and events have an opportunity to grow, innovate and adapt by tailoring their offering accordingly.

One way we provide this valuable insight is through the Scotland Visitor Survey. We will be carrying out another phase of this Scotland-wide survey next year, which for the first time will run over a full year.

What's included in the Scotland Visitor Survey?

The survey measures the visitor experience in Scotland in 2027. It helps us to understand why visitors take a holiday or a short break in Scotland and what their experience is while they are here.

The survey allows us to speak to holidaymakers on the ground in Scotland. It explores topics such as:

motivations for visiting Scotland

planning and booking

accommodation choices

travel to and around Scotland

places visited and activities

satisfaction and likelihood to recommend

opportunities to improve the visitor experience

Our research will look at the whole visitor journey from inspiration to planning, booking, and their overall satisfaction, advocacy, and likelihood to return. It helps us to build a better picture of what is particularly important to our visitors.

visitors at attraction take sefie

Visitors take selfie at the Burrell Collection, Glasgow. Credit VisitScotland / Kate Abbey.

When will the Scotland Visitor survey take place?

For the first time, the survey will run for a full calendar year, January to December 2027. This will give a fuller picture of the visitor experience throughout the year and will gather insight from our key domestic and international markets. The findings will be published in spring 2028.

How is the survey conducted?

The research will cover every region of Scotland. This includes the island groups of Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides, as well as Scotland’s eight cities.

We’ll have external interviewers who will talk to visitors face to face when they’re here on their holiday / break in Scotland. Interviewers will be positioned at key attractions and tourism hot spots around Scotland (and on some high streets too).

They’ll ask visitors to self-complete a short questionnaire (on a tablet). The visitor will then be asked for their email address to send them a follow-up online survey to complete when they return home.

visitor uses tablet