Insight Department: Spanish Visitors to Scotland October 2017
Welcome The Spanish Visitors to Scotland factsheet provides the latest data and trends on the volume and value of visitors from Spain to Scotland from the International Passenger Survey (IPS). A Typical Visitor from Spain to Scotland Compared to other European countries, visitors from Spain tend to be younger with a larger proportion of visitors being under the age of 34 years old. They are also more likely to be visiting Scotland for the first time, in contrast to Northern European visitors. Spanish residents have up to 14 public holidays a year, some of which are puentes (bridging days) which allows them to benefit from several long weekends. For this reason Spanish visitors tend to enjoy short breaks as much as possible Touring and city breaks are popular types of break in Scotland for the Spanish visitor. Where they are also keen to visit religious buildings (churches, cathedrals). Typically they travel with a partner or spouse, or with friends and children. Word of mouth recommendation by friends, relatives and colleagues has a strong influence on the Spanish visitor (above average). They are also very influenced by social media. Traveller submitted photos, videos and comments are all popular types of inspiration when planning their trip. Scotland is easily accessible to Spaniards directly by plane, and factors such as cost of plane tickets are very persuasive to them when booking holidays. Most will be visiting from Madrid, the Valencian Community, Catalonia or the Andalusia areas of Spain. 1
Visitors from Spain to the UK and Scotland in 2016 Visitors from Spain to the UK and Scotland in 2016 INDICATORS UK KEY FACTS SCOTLAND Total visits 2,397,000 89,000 Visits by purpose 38% holiday 37% VFR 20% business 52% holiday 29% VFR 16% business Total nights 17.4 million 693,000 Total spend 991 million 40 million Top towns visited London Manchester Bristol Birmingham Edinburgh Edinburgh Glasgow Inverness Average length of stay 7.3 nights 7.8 nights Average spend per day 57 57 Average spend per visit 414 449 Source: IPS, 2016 In 2016, Spain was the UK s 5ᵗʰ largest source market measured by number of visits 4ᵗʰ largest by number of nights 6ᵗʰ largest by expenditure In 2016, Spain was Scotland s 11ᵗʰ largest source market measured by number of visits 9ᵗʰ largest by number of nights 11ᵗʰ largest in terms of expenditure 2
Visitors from Spain to Scotland Compared to Other Overseas Markets: TRIPS SPEND NIGHTS 000s % m % 000s % USA 451 16% 510 28% 4,109 19% Germany 355 13% 212 11% 2,725 13% France 152 6% 75 4% 1,160 5% Canada 149 5% 130 7% 1,370 6% Poland 138 5% 20 1% 885 4% Australia 132 5% 102 6% 1,354 6% Italy 123 4% 92 5% 901 4% Netherlands 115 4% 62 3% 884 4% Irish Republic 96 3% 25 1% 295 1% Sweden 89 3% 43 2% 372 2%..................... Spain 89 3% 40 2% 693 3% Rest of World 859 34% 539 29% 6,481 31% Total 2,747 100% 1,850 100% 21,229 100% Source: IPS, 2016 3
Latest Information Visitors from Spain to Scotland Duration of stay Purpose of travel 1-3 nights (1%) 4-7 nights (6%) 8-14 nights (54%) 15+ nights (39%) Holiday (63%) Business (7%) VFR (17%) Seasonality Jan-Mar (13%) Apr-Jun (11%) Jul-Sep (62%) Oct-Dec (14%) Source: IPS, 2016 Top towns visited Edinburgh Glasgow Inverness Top regions visited Lothians Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley Highlands & Islands 4
Trends Information Visitors from Spain to Scotland VISITORS FROM SPAIN TO SCOTLAND: 2007-2016 1. Total visit/nights/spend 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Total Visits (000s) Total Nights (000s) Total Spend ( m) 184 109 171 140 132 114 93 101 146 89 1,208 1,041 1,472 1,701 963 1,124 1,250 1,633 1,952 693 82 52 80 79 79 70 54 97 105 40 Source: IPS, 2007-2016 5
2. Volume/Value trend 200 150 100 50 Visits (000s) Spend ( m) Linear (Visits (000s)) 0 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Source: IPS, 2007-2016 Visitor numbers from Spain has shown turbulence over the past decade. 2013 to 2015 showed an upward trend in numbers as the Spanish economy recovered but 2016 saw volume and value drop below 2013 levels. 6
MOTIVATIONS TO VISIT SCOTLAND SCOTLAND Always Scenery & landscape 61% (survey average 50%) History & culture 49% (survey average 33%) wanted to visit 45% (survey average 15%) To visit cities 35% (survey average 15%) Scotland s reputation for friendly people 22% (survey average 15%) Scotland s scenery is a stronger motivator for European visitors than average. For Spanish visitors in particular, to visit cities is a stronger motivator than other markets. TRANSPORT TO SCOTLAND 82% visitors arrived by plane directly to Scotland. The most popular airports to arrive to were: Edinburgh 81% Glasgow 7% Prestwick 9% 7% arrived by plane (indirect) Approximately 8 in 10 visitors from Spain took a direct flight to Scotland. A larger proportion than Northern European markets where indirect flights and ferries are also used. CONNECTIONS TO SCOTLAND 34% of Spanish visitors had a connection to Scotland. The most common connections were: Friends live in Scotland 12% Family live in Scotland 9% No personal connections but had visited many times 4% Visitors from Europe typically have lower personal connections to Scotland than long haul markets that may have ancestral links in Scotland. However, a fifth of Spanish visitors surveyed do have family or friends living in Scotland which may influence their visit. PLANNING & BOOKING On average, visitors from Spain start to plan about 3 months ahead. They are more likely to leave planning until closer to their time of travel in comparison to North European markets who may be touring Scotland more widely. Planning: Travel booking: Accommodation booking: 11.3 weeks 9.8 weeks 8.6 weeks Spanish visitors are very likely to seek information through websites and online media. Recommendations are also highly valued. They most often talk with friends and family, but may also call travel agents for professional advice. 7
TOP 5 ACTIVITIES IN SCOTLAND Visited cathedral, church 82% (survey average 46%) Visited castle/ historic house 76% (survey average 60%) Visited a country park/garden 76% (survey average 43%) Visited cities 75% (survey average 42%) Centre based walking (i.e around a town centre) 73% (survey average 45%) ACCOMMODATION Accommodation Preferences: Hotel 47% (survey average 41%) B&B/GH 36% (survey average 20%) Friends/family 21% (survey average 19%) Airbnb 12% (survey average 5%) Self-catering 10% (survey average 22%) Spanish visitors will participate in a range of activities while they are in Scotland. They are more likely than average to visit a cathedral, church or abbey and historical buildings as well as a visit to a county park or garden. City breaks are popular with Spanish visitors, as well as centre based walking. Further down the list of activities but higher than average for visitors from Spain: Viewed Architecture/ Buildings 51% Went on a Guided Tour 41% Aspects Important in Choosing Accommodation: Location 75% Value for Money 73% Availability of free Wi-Fi at accommodation 41% Quality star grading 38% (highest figure in Europe) Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2015/2016 8
Satisfaction with the Visitor Experience Overall satisfaction rates for European visitors are extremely positive. 69% of Spanish visitors rated their experience in Scotland as 9 or 10 out of 10, the highest proportion for the European markets researched (France, Germany, Spain, Italy, The Netherlands). Spanish visitors show a strong intention to recommend Scotland compared to other markets. MEAN Top 2 Box (9 or 10) Overall rating of Holiday Experience (scale 1-10) 9.0 69% Likelihood to Recommend 9.2 77% 46% strongly agree that Scotland is a country worth visiting more than once 36% strongly agree That they were made to feel really welcome 38% strongly agree That they really enjoyed finding out about the history and culture of a destination when I m on holiday Areas of the visitor experience which recorded mean scores below 8 include: Value for money of eating out Availability of free Wi-Fi Availability of 3G/4G Availability of local produce when eating out Value for money of accommodation Mobile phone signal coverage Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2015/2016 9
Popular media channels Research with consumers from Spain on VisitScotland s database has provided examples of key media channels used by these consumers. Key Websites Used Facebook Google Hotmail Yahoo Gmail Pais Mundo Correo Key Social Media Accounts Facebook Whatsapp YouTube TripAdvisor Google+ LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Pinterest Minube Key Newspapers Read (online or print) El Pais El Mundo La Vanguardia El Periodico 20 minutos ABC El Correo Key Magazines Read (online or in print) National Geographic Viajar Muy Interesante Hola Telva Viajes Fotogramas Influential TV Programmes for Travel Outlander Madrileños por el mundo Source: VisitScotland Research 2014-2017 Viajar National Geographic 10
Connectivity Some flights listed may only run in the Summer season. Direct to Edinburgh Jet2: Alicante, Malaga, Murcia, Ibiza, Mallorca, Reus, Menorca Vueling: Barcelona, Alicante Ryanair: Barcelona, Alicante, Malaga, Santander, Vigo EasyJet: Alicante, Mallorca, Tenerife Norwegian: Barcelona Direct to Glasgow Jet2: Alicante, Mallorca, Gran Canaria, Menorca, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Malaga, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Barcelona Reus, Barcelona El Prat EasyJet: Alicante, Mallorca, Malaga Iberia- Airnostrum: Madrid, Bilbao, Valencia Ryanair: Madrid, Girona, Alicante, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Valencia Direct to Aberdeen Ryanair: Malaga, Alicante Iberia Express: Madrid Direct to Prestwick Ryanair: Alicante, Lanzarote, Palma, Barcelona, Ibiza, Murcia, Fuerteventura, Malaga, Tenerife, Gran Canaria 11
APPENDIX: International Passenger Survey 2016 USING AND INTERPRETING STATISTICAL DATA Source: Data is sourced from the Office for National Statistics International Passenger Survey (IPS). Information about the survey can be found on the VisitBritain website www.visitbritain.org (Insights & Statistics section) or the Office for National Statistics website www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/index.html. Sample Sizes: Analysis of sub-groups, such as trips by purpose or demographic group, relies on small sample sizes that can be unreliable. Where this is a particular issue, methods to aggregate data, such as using a 3-year average instead of single-year data, have been used. Before using the data, it is important to recognise the limitations of using a small sample size. Further information, including methodology and sample sizes, can be found on the VisitBritain website www.visitbritain.org (Insights & Statistics section). CONTACT US Insight Department VisitScotland Ocean Point One 94 Ocean Drive Edinburgh EH6 6JH 0131 472 2222 research@visitscotland.com October 2017 visitscotland.com visitscotland.org Disclaimer: VisitScotland has published this report in good faith to update stakeholders on its activity. VisitScotland has taken all reasonable steps to confirm the information contained in the publication is correct. However, VisitScotland does not warrant or assume any legal liability for the accuracy of any information disclosed and accepts no responsibility for any error or omissions. Images VisitScotland