Stevenson Delighted at North American Visitor Boost for 2014

Stewart Stevenson, SNP MSP for Banffshire & Buchan Coast, is delighted that Scotland received a significant increase in North American tourists in 2014.

Picture from wikipedia

The latest figures show that the number of North American visitors to Scotland rose by 32 per cent in the year leading up to the end of September 2014, generating a 35 per cent growth in expenditure.

Mr Stevenson said:

“I very much welcome the latest results on North American tourists in Scotland over 2014 which highlight the fantastic year that Scotland had. With major events such as the Ryder Cup, Homecoming 2014 and of course the Commonwealth Games, Scotland was a very attractive holiday destination last year and I hope that these results will be built on for many years to come.

“Tourism is one of Scotland’s major industries and these figures signal a welcome economic boost for the country, and an encouragement to all those that make Scotland such an appealing destination.”

There were 538,000 visits to Scotland from North American tourists in the year leading up to September 2014, compared to 408,000 in the previous year, while spending increased to £1.8 billion in the year to September 2014, compared to the previous year’s £1.6 billion level.