Scottish Household Survey: Tourism Sentiment, 2025

Perceptions of tourism benefits

In 2025, almost half (48%) of adults across Scotland agreed tourism was good for their local area (25% strongly agreed; 23% tended to agree) while 12% disagreed (8% strongly disagreed; 5% tended to disagree). 12% neither agreed nor disagreed and around a fifth (21%) said it was not applicable to them.

Perceptions varied by local authority area (Table 2), with the highest levels of agreement recorded in in Argyll and Bute (89%), Scottish Borders (89%), Na h-Eileanan Siar (87%), Orkney Islands (86%) and Shetland Islands (85%). The lowest levels of agreement were recorded in North Lanarkshire (16%), Renfrewshire (28%) and East Renfrewshire (28%); these areas recorded high proportions (a third or more) of ‘not applicable’ responses.

Rural areas (63%) (Table 1), particularly island areas (87%) (Table 3), were more likely than average (48%) to agree that tourism was good for their local area (Figure 2).

Figure 2:  Respondents in rural and island areas were more likely than average to agree tourism is good for their local area

Percentage of adults agreeing tourism is good for their local area, Scotland, island and rural areas, 2025