Travel trends for Scotland

Explore reports designed to provide food for thought about tourism trends and the opportunities they offer.

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Overview

In today’s rapidly changing world, having an informed outlook is vital. Looking at global trends can help Scottish tourism grow and adapt. Visitor trends can reflect shifting interests, behaviours, and attitudes of visitors over time.
We use a number of research methods, including horizon scanning, secondary research and visitor panel research to identify trends which we feel will have an impact on the tourism and events industry in Scotland.
We have been reviewing visitor trends for over ten years. On this page, you will find the latest trends for 2026 and a look back at past trends which still provide opportunities for tourism businesses today.

1. 2026 trends: the transformation economy

Creating lasting change for visitors is at the heart of the current transformation economy.

Visitors increasingly seek out meaningful, intentional experiences that foster personal development, social impact, and sustainability.

Tourism and travel products are perfectly placed to deliver in this transformative space with visitors interested in “experiences over things”.

We have identified four key drivers of consumer behaviour that will influence behaviour in 2026: economic pressures, the increasing usage of AI and technology, environmental awareness, and personal health.

Each of these has helped inform key trend areas, which have then been developed into specific travel trends.

A couple sampling whisky at the Lagg Distillery.

Give and break

Visitors care about the environment, but perceptions of sustainability now goes beyond “green”.

It’s about supporting local communities and economies.

Awareness of tourism's effect on local communities is growing. 73% of visitors want their spending to benefit locals.

(Source: Booking.com, 2025)

Athleisure

Visitors are continuing to travel in pursuit of their favourite hobbies.

This trend is evolving with the increasing popularity of "social" fitness events, such as Hyrox and CrossFit competitions, with participants often travelling to join in.

A fitness event or personal challenge can be a driver of a trip, secondary activity, or source of inspiration for future trips.

Augment your experience

Augmented reality and gamification use interactivity to create a sense of fun during the visitor journey and are high drivers of engagement.

When utilised effectively, gamification techniques can build loyalty and increase visitor engagement.

Augmented reality tools can be used to encourage responsible behaviour by overlaying relevant information in-destination, such as awareness of eco-friendly practices.

BYOB: Bring your own budget

With visitor confidence fluctuating, budget flexibility is more important than ever for visitors. Travel itself continues to be prioritised and visitors are still keen to take part in experiences while on holiday.

This makes it important to give visitors the opportunity to select from tiered packages for experiences to allows them to pick options suited to their budget.

Flexibility in pricing packages allows a business to cater to a wide audience.

Adventure luxe

The traditional ideals of luxury holiday relaxation and comfort are expanding into transformative enriching outdoor experiences.

With a thriving outdoor activities scene, Scotland is well-poised to take advantage of this emerging market and provide memorable experiences for the affluent thrill-seeker.

Holiday helpers

With the rising cost of living, working parents may be increasing their reliance on grandparent or extended family to ease childcare costs, particularly during school holiday periods.

As a result, grandparents looking to take grandchildren on holiday is a growing trend, with a variety of accommodation providers looking to cater to this market.

Scran seekers

A key element of immersing yourself in another culture when travelling is through sampling the local cuisine.

While visitos have been drawn to destinations for their foodie offerings for many years, food tourism has seen a boom with social media and the rise of the content creator.

Food experiences are not just limited to restaurants or cooking classes.

Street food, food-based pop-up events, and even what is available in local convenience stores are all increasing in popularity thanks to influencers.

Enduring trend: water wellness

As described in Trends for 2025: the Experience Economy, visitors are keen to engage with therapeutic outdoor experiences.

An extension of this trend is the adoption of water wellness specifically, with a focus on hot / cold hydrotherapy and revitalising watersports.

Scotland has the most water of any UK nation, making it the perfect location to lean into the water wellness trend.

Enduring trend: set-jetting plus

As identified in Trends for 2025: the Experience Economy, visitors are continuing to "set-jet"; being inspired to visit places based on their favourite TV and film locations.

Themes of mystery, tradition, history, and culture displayed in hugely successful productions, such as The Traitors, Outlander and, Guillermo del Torro's Frankenstein, are sparking interest to explore not only these real-life locations, but also the broader appeal of wider cultural heritage of Scotland.

Trends for 2026: the transformation economy

Published January 2026

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2. 2025 trends: the experience economy

The experience economy is the value generated by a visitor's experience. Visitors are looking for more than just a passive holiday or trip, they want to ensure that their money and time is spent on meaningful experiences that create lasing memories.

We have identified trends falling within two areas of passion travel and wellness tourism.

Passion travel looks at visitors being motivated to seek out holiday experiences that are closely linked to their existing interests. People are prioritising personal interests as the driver behind destination choice.

Wellness tourism describes travel that is associated with the physical and inner wellbeing of the visitor. Being a well-established trend, wellness shows no sign of going anywhere as a motivation for travel, particularly in Scotland.

Yoga by Loch Tay

Key trends identified in 2025

Celebreaktions

The opportunity for an existing celebration or milestone to be transformed into a holiday.

Gigtripping

Planning trips around events such as concerts and festivals.

Hobbidays

Visitors choosing destinations based on places that promote and facilitate their favourite hobbies.

Instant inspo

Combining the use of social media platforms for pursuing passions and planning / booking trips.

Set jetting

Visitors choosing to visit the “set” of their favourite Scotland-based film or TV show.

Snoorie

Combining snooze and coorie, "snoorie" describes tourism promoting rest for visitors.

Biohacking wellness

Incorporation of "biohacking" technology in tourism to appeal to certain wellness-seeking visitors.

Outdoor therapy

Using Scotland’s unique outdoors to promote wellness, such as outdoor saunas and forest bathing.

Trends for 2025: the experience economy

Published January 2025

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3. Our past trends: trends still relevant today

It has been over ten years since our first trends publication back in 2013.

In that time, we have set out to inform and inspire Scottish tourism businesses on visitor interests and drivers that influence our industry.

We have looked back at our past trends and re-visited four key trends that continue to offer opportunities for the Scottish tourism industry.

Children pointing at something at the horizon from a van.

Past trends

Travel with purpose

Trips to have meaning and challenge and a desire to give back to communities people visit.

Conscious traveller

Growing concern over climate change, living more responsibly and embracing localism.

Wellness

The growing importance people are placing on physical and emotional wellbeing.

Distinctive Scotland

Portraying a unique and distinctive visitor experience Scotland.

A decade of consumer trends

Published March 2024

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4. Euromonitor travel trends for Scotland

In 2023-2024, we worked with Euromonitor International to use their expert knowledge of global trends.

Drawing insights from their International Lifestyles Survey with over 40,000 global respondents, they identified three important trend areas which continue to offer opportunities for our sector.

4.1 People with passion

This means evolution towards more connected travel experiences. It gives rise to a tourism model that focuses on deep, authentic community engagement, tailored journeys, and placing people at the heart of tourism.

Personal connection and deeper community engagement improves the visitor experience. It can also help foster a mutually beneficial relationship between visitor, community, and the tourism sector and its employees.

4.2 Places and immersive experiences

This refers to a global shift towards authentic travel. It prompts the industry to offer deeper cultural connections and personalised exploration. This is particularly relevant for Scotland's rich heritage and hidden gems.

Visitors are increasingly seeking personalised immersive experiences that allow them to delve into new cultures in a more meaningful way.

Over the next few years, this pursuit of authentic engagement will shape the travel industry, whether through lesser-known locales, local cuisine, natural wonders, or unique activities.

4.3 Power to change

This is referring to a new generation of visitors who are increasingly eager to access responsible and meaningful experiences and events. Businesses will need to continue to adapt and embrace to fulfil this desire.

For Scotland, this means embracing and embedding these global movements into the very fabric of its tourism strategy.

This will involve developing tourism offerings that are regenerative, promote holistic wellbeing, are inclusive and accessible, are digitally convenient, and are rooted in the principles of sustainability and resilience.