The latest research into our international markets and how COVID-19 is impacting plans to visit Scotland
Explore below feedback from our international marketing teams and insight from the latest social listening since March 2020.
In this section:
Market intelligence update: Europe
Social listening update: Europe
Market intelligence update: Australia, Canada, China and USA
Market intelligence update: Europe
The latest marketing insights from Europe gathered by our VisitScotland marketing teams.
Domestic travel and cross-border movement within Europe is well underway. With UK quarantine restrictions being lifted, more and more air and ferry routes are returning, and leisure tours are confirmed. The first Dutch and German visitors have already arrived back in Scotland and French and Italian visitors are likely to follow shortly.
Domestic travel within France and cross-border movement within Europe is well underway for French holidaymakers. With UK quarantine restrictions being lifted, more and more air and ferry routes returning as well as leisure tours confirmed, French visitors will return to Scotland soon.
Health and recovery of market
French authorities are closely monitoring levels of new infection rates, but the state of emergency has been lifted. Wearing face coverings in indoor spaces are soon to be made compulsory. Easing of lockdown restrictions were put in place in all areas of daily life to accelerate economic recovery. All of mainland France, including Paris and its suburbs, were classed as “green zones” from mid-June onwards, meaning hospitality, cultural attractions, workplaces and schools have largely reopened.
Quarantine and other travel restrictions
Since July 10 visitors from 57 countries no longer need to self-isolate upon arrival in Scotland – this includes visitors from France. Check the full list of countries who can travel to Scotland without quarantine.
While there are no border restrictions between the UK and France, the French government informed its citizens that the epidemic is still growing in the UK and the risk to the public is considered high.
Aviation
Most airline carriers have resumed their operations and can be seen to gradually increase direct flight connections between Scotland and France. Please note that airline schedules remain subject to change and amendments. For an overview of European airline carriers with direct routes into Scotland, please refer to our overseas travel pages. We advise visitors to check latest connectivity, air fares and latest safety measures directly with the airlines.
Ferry operations have also resumed, giving French visitors the option of travelling to Scotland via seaports in France and South England with Brittany Ferries or the Netherlands and North England with DFDS Seaways or P&O Ferries.
Intermediary insights and horizon scanning
With quarantine restrictions lifted and air and ferry routes resuming operations, enquiries from French tour operators are increasingly focusing around Scotland’s industry re-opening and health and safety measures. It can be expected that tours scheduled for summer, autumn and winter will resume, under the premise of them not yet having been cancelled or postponed, and booked accommodations and attractions being open.
For more insights into the French market see our visitors from France page.
Domestic travel within Germany and cross-border movement within Europe is well underway for German holidaymakers. With UK quarantine restrictions being lifted, more and more air and ferry routes are returning, and leisure tours are confirmed, the first German visitors have already arrived back in Scotland.Domestic travel within Germany and cross-border movement within Europe is well underway for German holidaymakers. With UK quarantine restrictions being lifted, more and more air and ferry routes are returning, and leisure tours are confirmed, the first German visitors have already arrived back in Scotland.
Health and recovery of market
German authorities are closely monitoring the country’s R rate. The federal government and all state governments only recently agreed on new procedures in the event of local Covid-19 outbreaks. In the future, more targeted (localised) measures can be taken to break chains of new infection, with restrictions no longer having to affect an entire district or city. With regards to the travel season, it was also stipulated that returnees from abroad who have been in a ‘risk’ area within the past 14 days remain obliged to self-isolate for two weeks at home.
Quarantine and other travel restrictions
Since July 10 visitors from 57 countries no longer need to self-isolate upon arrival in Scotland – this includes visitors from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Check the full list of countries who can travel to Scotland without quarantine.
Although Germany’s Foreign Office lifted its official travel warning for leisure travel between EU and Schengen-associated states, it continues to discourage non-essential travel to the UK until August 31.
Aviation
Most airline carriers have resumed their operations and can be seen to gradually increase direct flight connections between Scotland and Germany. Please note that airline schedules remain subject to change and amendments. For an overview of European airline carriers with direct routes into Scotland, please refer to our overseas travel pages. We advise visitors to check latest connectivity, air fares and latest safety measures directly with the airlines.
Ferry operations have also resumed, giving German visitors the option of travelling to Scotland via seaports in the Netherlands and North England with DFDS Seaways or P&O Ferries.
Intermediary insights and horizon scanning
With quarantine restrictions lifted and air and ferry routes resuming operations, enquiries from German tour operators are increasingly focusing around Scotland’s industry re-opening and health and safety measures.
It can be expected that tours scheduled for summer, autumn and winter will resume, under the premise of them not yet having been cancelled or postponed, and booked accommodations and attractions being open. In fact, first FIT tours have already resumed.
Many coach tour operators have started to introduce new and improved hygiene measures that comply with the requirements of state and health authorities, aimed at reassuring clients and keeping them safe. Anecdotal feedback suggests that forward bookings for coach tours to Scotland in 2021 are starting to look promising.
German cruising companies have launched their first "Cruises to Nowhere" (cruises that do not dock anywhere apart from their origin German harbours). Passengers stay on ship for the duration of their trip but are given the opportunity to enjoy the overall sailing experience with an all-inclusive concept on board. Passenger occupany is limited, and cruising companies need to adhere to increased health and safety standards.
For more insights into the German market see our visitors from Germany page.
Domestic travel within individual countries and cross-border movement within Europe is well underway for Benelux and Nordic holidaymakers. With UK quarantine restrictions being lifted and more and more air and ferry routes returning, the first Dutch visitors have already arrived back in Scotland.
Health and recovery of market
Authorities in the Benelux and Nordic countries are closely monitoring levels of new infection rates. All North European countries managed their lockdown individually and are easing restrictions at different paces. Across most of the North European markets, hospitality, cultural attractions, workplaces and schools have largely reopened.
Quarantine and other travel restrictions
Since July 10 visitors from 57 countries no longer need to self-isolate upon arrival in Scotland – this includes visitors from Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, as well as Norway, Finland and Denmark. Visitors from Sweden must continue to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival. Check the full list of countries who can travel to Scotland without quarantine.
Although the Dutch Foreign Office lifted its official travel warning for leisure travels between EU and Schengen-associated states, it still has a yellow warning in place for travels to the UK, making citizens aware of an increased safety risk.
Aviation
Most airline carriers have resumed their operations and can be seen to gradually increase direct flight connections between Scotland and North Europe. Please note that airline schedules remain subject to change and amendments. For an overview of European airline carriers with direct routes into Scotland, please refer to our overseas travel pages. We advise visitors to check latest connectivity, air fares and latest safety measures directly with the airlines.
Ferry operations have also resumed, giving visitors from the Benelux countries the option of travelling to Scotland via seaports in the Netherlands and North England with DFDS Seaways or P&O Ferries.
Intermediary insights and horizon scanning
With quarantine restrictions lifted and air and ferry routes resuming operations, enquiries from North European tour operators are increasingly focusing around Scotland’s industry re-opening and health and safety measures.
It can be expected that tours scheduled for summer, autumn and winter will resume, under the premise of them not yet having been cancelled or postponed, and booked accommodations and attractions being open.
For more insights on the Netherlands, Norways and Sweden see our country specific pages:
Domestic travel within individual countries and cross-border movement within Europe is well underway for some Southern European markets, for Italy in particular. With UK quarantine restrictions being lifted and more and more air routes returning, Italian visitors will return to Scotland soon.
Health and recovery of market
Authorities in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece are closely monitoring levels of new infection rates. All South European countries managed their lockdown individually and are easing restrictions at different paces. Across most of the South European markets, hospitality, cultural attractions, workplaces and schools have reopened, but particularly Portugal and Spain are having to contain growing local outbreaks. Here, partial lockdowns have been imposed to break the chain of infections.
Quarantine and other travel restrictions
Since July 10 visitors from 57 countries no longer need to self-isolate upon arrival in Scotland – this includes visitors from Italy and Greece. Visitors from Spain and Portugal must continue to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival. Check the full list of countries who can travel to Scotland without quarantine.
Aviation
Most airline carriers have resumed their operations and can be seen to gradually increase direct flight connections between Scotland and South Europe. Please note that airline schedules remain subject to change and amendments. For an overview of European airline carriers with direct routes into Scotland, please refer to our overseas travel pages. We advise visitors to check latest connectivity, air fares and latest safety measures directly with the airlines.
Intermediary insights and horizon scanning
With quarantine restrictions lifted and air routes resuming operations, enquiries from Italian tour operators are increasingly focusing around Scotland’s industry re-opening and health and safety measures. Enquiries from Spanish tour operators revolve more around the quarantine restrictions and when these are likely to be lifted.
It can be expected that tours scheduled for summer, autumn and winter will resume, under the premise of them not yet having been cancelled or postponed, and booked accommodations and attractions being open.
For more insights on Spain and Italy see our country specific pages:
Social listening update: Europe
Our insights team uses 'social listening' as a tool for research. Put simply, it's about gathering data on specific topics from online conversations, to allow us to capture first-hand insights from visitors and potential visitors to Scotland.
We use a social listening tool, Brandwatch, to identify, capture and categorise high volumes of information.
Between 13 and 19 July, there were over 2,600 relevant conversations about holiday intentions in France, this is 9% increase compared to the previous week.
General conversations have moved from holiday planning to how people are currently spending their holidays, or what they will be doing in their already booked holidays.
#cetetejevisitelaFrance – national campaign to encourage staycation in France is trending on social at the moment, as well as conversations about road trips. This shows that French holidaymakers are focusing on staycation for their holidays and looking for outdoor/nature type of holidays.
Online sentiment remains positive (62% of total conversations) on a weekly basis. Positive chatter about what users are doing on their holidays and the excitement of being able to go on holidays again. Negative sentiment focuses on user’s concerns for a potential second wave of cases following people travelling and going on holidays in more places.
Between 13and 19 July, there were almost 1,000 relevant conversations about holiday intentions in Germany. General chatter about holiday intentions increased by 5% compared to the previous seven days.
Conversations have shifted from holiday planning to how people are currently spending their holidays or what they will be doing during their planned holidays.
The main conversations topics were people:
- sharing current staycation experiences
- sharing their plans to travel to domestic or nearby European destinations later this summer/early autumn
- seeking advice on re-bookings/refunds for planned holidays
- voicing concerns about a second coronavirus wave and safety measures abroad
Overall, online sentiment tends to be positive to neutral. Positive sentiment is driven by online users sharing their travel plans for the summer and autumn. Whilst negative conversations are driven by concerns about a second coronavirus wave, and safety measures abroad, as well as frustrations over refunds and re-bookings of planned holidays.
Dutch speaking countries: The Netherlands and Belgium
Between 13 and 19 July, there almost 1,000 conversations about holiday intentions in the low countries. Conversations remain consistent on a weekly basis, without peaks/drops in volumes.
The majority of online conversations are people:
- looking to go on holiday abroad (within the EU). Holidaymakers express their preference to travel to nearby places like Germany or northern France
- talking about having a staycation
- concerns about safety when travelling abroad
Online sentiment is positive (35%) with users talking about staycation plans for the immediate future. Negative sentiment (20%) is driven by people’s concerns over health and safety when travelling abroad.
Market intelligence update: Australia, Canada, China and USA
The latest marketing insights from Australia, Canada, China and the USA gathered from our VisitScotland marketing teams.
In China, as COVID-19 cases decline and local outbreaks are quickly brought under control, consumer confidence in travel and leisure grows. Domestic travel has largely returned to pre-COVID-19 levels and the appetite for travel-related news and inspiration grows. Short-haul travel is expected to begin making a recovery from the October national holiday onwards with Long-haul following after that.
In the last couple of weeks Australia has seen a return to lockdown in some areas of the country following local spikes in COVID-19 cases. Interprovincial and international travel remain highly restricted.
In North America, reopening has begun on a state by state and province by province basis however advisories against all non-essential travel remain in place.
In the last couple of weeks Australia has seen a return to lockdown in some areas of the country. The Greater Melbourne area has returned to full lockdown from 8 July for 6 weeks following a significant increase in COVID-19 cases through community transmission. New South Wales has also started to see a small increase which will lead to a tightening of restrictions around group sizes in internal spaces which includes pubs, cafes and restaurants. Concerns that this outbreak will spread further has meant that Inter-State borders remain closed, restricting domestic travel, with mandatory 14-day quarantine in place for some.
Health and recovery of market
Australia's recovery had been progressing well, recent outbreaks will undoubtedly have an impact. The increased internal border closures will restrict domestic movement and will delay discussions around the planned Trans-Tasman Travel Bubble, which would allow for quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand.
Quarantine and other travel restrictions
Currently only essential international travel is allowed from Australia. Indications from the market suggest that the international border will remain closed for some time into 2021, with no confirmed dates for re-opening. Currently, any Australian citizen returning home must quarantine in government supervised hotels for 14 days. A recent development has meant that these costs must now be covered by the individual ($3,000 for the first adult in the group, $1000 additional adult & $500 for each child aged over 3), arrivals have also been capped at 4,000 per week to ease the pressure on these facilities.
Aviation
Middle East Carriers have started to fly direct to Scotland since July. Qatar is currently offering 2 flights per week between Edinburgh and Doha, looking to increase the schedule in August and September, whilst Emirates began flying between Glasgow and Dubai on 15 July, initially with 4 flights per week, with plans to increase in August.
Intermediary insights and horizon scanning
With international travel restrictions in place, the travel sector in Australia has shifted focus to domestic travel. Tourism Australia has invested heavily in activity targeted at their domestic market, last month they launched their campaign, 'Australia, we've missed you'. We have also seen an increase in the development of domestic product from brands that usually focus on outbound travel, including Contiki and other Travel Corporation brands.
For more insights into the Australian market see our visitors from Australia page.
Canadian provinces have started to reopen their economies but limited interprovincial travel is permitted. There’s a travel advisory in place until 31 August advising against all non-essential travel. The Canadian/US border closure has been extended until 21 Aug. Anyone arriving in Canada is subject to a 14-day quarantine period, similar to UK arrival restrictions.
Health and recovery of market
Australia's recovery had been progressing well, recent outbreaks will undoubtedly have an impact. The increased internal border closures will restrict domestic movement and will delay discussions around the planned Trans-Tasman Travel Bubble, which would allow for quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand.
Quarantine and other travel restrictions
Travellers from Canada to the UK/Scotland will be required to quarantine for 14 days.
Aviation
Air Canada continues to fly to the UK (Toronto to London) but announced in May that its Rouge service would not operate its Toronto - Glasgow and Edinburgh routes for summer 2020.
Transat announced the revival of its Toronto – Glasgow service due to restart on Saturday 25 July 2020 operating twice a week.
Intermediary insights and horizon scanning
Canadian travel trade are ready to send visitors to Scotland however, with current border restrictions in place within Canada and the UK this is not possible.
The Canadian travel industry are currently lobbying the Federal Government for details of criteria and timescales which will allow the reopening on the international border.
For more insights into the Canadian market see our visitors from Canada page.
As COVID-19 cases decline and local outbreaks are quickly brought under control, consumer confidence in travel and leisure increases. Domestic travel has largely returned to pre-COVID-19 levels and the appetite for travel-related news and inspiration grows.
Health and recovery of market
The latest localised outbreak of COVID-19 in Beijing in June is now under control after a rapid response imposed local lockdown, intercity travel restrictions and rolled out mass-testing. There was one COVID-19 related death in China in the past week. This demonstration of the ability of the authorities to manage local outbreaks effectively, has given the public confidence that they can resume a more ‘normal’ life.
Quarantine and other travel restrictions
From 6 July all 15 UK visa centres across China reopened and resumed services.
The Chinese government does not explicitly advise against travel to the UK however 14-day quarantine is required at both sides. Fast-track services which do not require quarantine are in place for business travel from the UK to China.
Aviation
Since the CAAC launched their rolling programme of steady expansion of international travel, foreign and Chinese carriers have been resuming international routes.
In June, 75% of scheduled domestic flights and 18.3% of international flights were in operation.
Intermediary insights and horizon scanning
Sales of international travel packages remain suspended however when inter-provincial sales resumed earlier this week, Ctrip immediately saw an increase in search and bookings of 500%, an indication that there’s pent up demand for travel. The same demand is expected when international travel resumes.
Many tourism professionals remain furloughed but there’s an appetite amongst those still operating for destination updates, travel guidance and new product information.
Many businesses have diversified their product and we’re seeing a shift from the sale of large-group-travel to small groups and independent travel.
Leading OTA, Ctrip.com released the results of their ‘Research on Travel Willingness in 2020’ report which shows that Chinese consumers are now willing to spend more time and money on travel than previously. More than 70% of respondents intend to increase their travel budgets or maintain the same level as last year.
For more insights into the Chinese market see our visitors from China page.
The USA market continues to reopen its economy on a state by state basis. US still advises against all forms of non-essential travel and US citizens are subject to a 14-day quarantine period on arrival when travelling to the UK and Europe. While we can’t welcome back US visitors yet, we are still seeing demand for ‘dream now travel later’ content from US travel trade.
Quarantine and other travel restrictions
Travellers from the US will be required to quarantine for 14 days upon entering the UK.
Aviation
There are various US air routes in operation connecting key hubs in the US with London Heathrow. US airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines are both expected to resume some of their direct services to Scotland over the next few months. Please note that airline schedules are subject to change and amendments so please check directly with the airline for the latest guidance.
Intermediary insights and horizon scanning
Continued interest from US travel trade on when Scotland will be open to US visitors. Exploring Scotland virtually with virtual experiences and related content continues to be of interest to travel trade and US consumers alike. Product development continues for many US operators.
For more insights into the US market see our visitors from the USA page.