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Visit Scotland | Alba

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Overview

  • Insight on tourism in the Scottish Borders 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.
  • From 2022 to 2024, there was an annual average of 290,000 overnight tourism visits to the Scottish Borders with an associated expenditure of £96 million. Please note that three-year average data is reported for this region due to small single-year sample sizes.

1. Key statistics (overnight tourism)

290 thousand

total overnight visits by international and domestic visitors, annual average 2022-2024

940 thousand

total nights spent in accommodation by international and domestic visitors, annual average 2022-2024

£96 million

total spend by international and domestic visitors, annual average 2022-2024

£328

average overnight visitor spend per trip, 2022-2024

Figures shown represent the average annual tourism performance for the Scottish Borders from 2022 to 2024 (numbers have been rounded). Sources: International visitors: International Passenger Survey, GB residents: Great Britain Tourism Survey, 2024

Domestic overnight tourism

Region Domestic visits Domestic nights Domestic spend
Scottish Borders 265,000 702,000 £71 million

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey, 2022-2024 (three-year averages used to account for small single-year sample sizes)

Do you want to see this data as a graph or view past year figures?

View graphs and data on tourismobservatory.scot

International overnight tourism

Region International visits International nights Internmational spend
Scottish Borders 29,000 238,000 £26 million

Source: International Passenger Survey, 2022-2024 (three-year averages used to account for small single-year sample sizes)

Do you want to see this data as a graph or view past year figures?

View graphs and data on tourismobservatory.scot

Employment and economic performance

Local Authority Tourism employment in 2023 Tourism employment as a percentage of all employment Tourism businesses in 2024 Tourism businesses as a percentage of all businesses Tourism Turnover in 2022 Total tourism GVA per head in 2022
Scottish Borders 4,500 8.7% 425 8.1% £157 million £19,304

Source: Scottish Growth Sector Statistics, December 2024

Do you want to see this data as a graph, a time series, or a data file (CSV)?

View this data as a time series on tourismobservatory.scot

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.

The visitor survey also allows us to explore the experiences of visitors who stayed overnight in a specific area.

Profile of overnight visitors: Scottish Borders

75%

were domestic visitors

25%

were international visitors

88%

were repeat visitors

7%

were on a trip of a lifetime

Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2023

Scotland Visitor Survey 2023 - Scottish Borders 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 Visit Wales. The sample size for the Scottish Borders was 27. Caution low sample size.
Browse more information on domestic overnight tourism to Scotland.

International Passenger Survey

Carried out by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). VisitBritain, VisitScotland and Visit Wales are sponsors of the survey. The sample size for the Scottish Borders was 19. Caution low sample size.
Browse more information on international tourism performance.

Scotland Visitor Survey

Commissioned by VisitScotland. The sample size for the Scottish Borders was 156.
Explore details from the Scotland Visitor Survey.

Scottish Growth Sector Statistics

Read details on industry statistics on gov.scot.

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