Domestic overnight tourism
| Region | Domestic visits | Domestic nights | Domestic spend |
| Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray Speyside | 1,067,000 | 3,827,000 | £252 million |
Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey, 2023
Overview
- Insight on tourism in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray Speyside is available from a range of different sources. These include tourism monitors, national statistics, and commissioned research.
- On this page, you will find key data for the area. There are also links to further information regarding a particular source or study.
- In 2023, there were a total of 1.35 million overnight tourism visits to Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray Speyside and a total overnight tourism spend of £410 million.
1. Key statistics (overnight tourism)
1.35 million
total overnight visits by international and domestic visitors in 2023
6.93 million
total nights spent in accommodations by international and domestic visitors in 2023
£410 million
total overnight spend by international and domestic visitors in 2023
£305
average overnight visitor spend in 2023
Figures shown represent tourism performance for Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, and Moray Speyside in 2023 (numbers have been rounded). Sources: International Passenger Survey 2023, Great Britain Tourism Survey 2023.
International overnight tourism
| Region | International visits | International nights | International spend |
| Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray Speyside | 278,000 | 3,105,000 | £158 million |
Source: International Passenger Survey, 2023
Employment and economic performance
| Local Authority | Tourism employment in 2022 | Tourism employment as % of all employment | Tourism businesses in 2023 | Tourism businesses as a% of all businesses | Tourism Turnover in 2021 | Total tourism GVA per head in 2021 |
| Aberdeen City | 10,000 | 8.6% | 555 | 7.2% | £353 million | £17,890 |
| Aberdeenshire | 8,000 | 5.4% | 680 | 5.4% | £224 million | £14,661 |
| Moray | 3,500 | 7.9% | 310 | 9.9% | £96 million | £15,778 |
Source: Scottish Growth Sector Statistics, December 2023
Do you want to see this data as a graph, a time series, or access a data file (CSV)?
2. Scotland Visitor Survey 2023
In 2023, we commissioned the Scotland Visitor Survey to gather insight on visitor attitudes and behaviours. The scope of the survey was leisure overnight visitors only.
The survey explores all aspects of the visitor experience in Scotland. Further information on the background, methodology, and key highlights from the survey is also available.
Browse Scotland Visitor Survey 2023.
The visitor survey also allows us to explore the experiences of visitors who stayed overnight in a specific area.
Profile of overnight visitors to Aberdeen
41%
were domestic visitors
59%
were international visitors
64%
were repeat visitors
15%
were on a trip of a lifetime
Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2023
Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 - Aberdeen factsheet
Published June 2024
Profile of overnight visitors to Aberdeenshire
71%
were domestic visitors
29%
were international visitors
80%
were repeat visitors
8%
were on a trip of a lifetime
Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2023
Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 - Aberdeenshire factsheet
Published June 2024
Profile of overnight visitors to Moray Speyside
84%
were domestic visitors
16%
were international visitors
91%
were repeat visitors
3%
were on a trip of a lifetime
Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2023
Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 - Moray Speyside factsheet
Published June 2024
3. Methodology
The data published on this page is sourced from a number of different studies.
Great Britain Tourism Survey
Jointly sponsored by VisitEngland, VisitScotland and VisitWales. The sample size for Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray Speyside was 112.
Browse more information on domestic overnight tourism to Scotland.
International Passenger Survey
Carried out by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). VisitBritain, VisitScotland and VisitWales are sponsors of the survey. The sample size for Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray Speyside was 240.
Browse more information on international tourism performance.
Scotland Visitor Survey
Commissioned by VisitScotland. The sample size for Aberdeen was 266, Aberdeenshire 233 and Moray Speyside 74.
Explore details from the Scotland Visitor Survey.
Scottish Growth Sector Statistics
4. Additional research resources
More research and insights for the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire region.
Key tourism insights
industry.visitabdn.comVisitAberdeenshire's research and insights webpages provide tourism data for the north east of Scotland.
