The amount of spending by North American tourists in Scotland’s hotels, bars and restaurants has risen by 28% to £633m in the past 12 months, according to new figures released by the ONS and the Scottish Government.
The findings also showed an overall 6% increase in international tourists spending in Scotland to September 2016, despite a 7% drop in European markets.
The number of North American tourists visiting Scotland also rose 14% in the same period.
Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop, said, “North America is an important international market. These excellent figures confirm visitors from the region continue to spend more when they visit Scotland. It’s great news for our hotels, shops and restaurants that depend on tourism revenue.
“Scotland’s tourism businesses, and their 217,000 jobs, work incredibly hard to make our country a must-visit destination for foreign travellers.
“Our tourism sector operates in a highly competitive international market. European markets have registered a dip, which may be linked to uncertainty over safety and security affecting travel.”
Marc Crothall, Chief Executive of Scottish Tourism Alliance, added, “The latest visitor figures for Q3 are very encouraging.
“This should offer confidence to the industry that we can continue to perform successfully as Scotland’s main economic driver during these periods of political and economic uncertainty.”
