| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 17/07/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 6 |
| Copyright: Other |
STB sees number of overseas visitors fall by 11%
THESCOTTISHTourist Board has blamed an 11% plunge in visits from overseas tourists last year on the weakness of European currencies.A total of 1.91m visits from overseas visitors was recorded, down from 2.14m the year before. Tourist spending fell by 12.7% to £845m.
An STB spokeswoman said the tourism industry was experiencing trading difficulties due to the strength of the pound.
“Scotland is an expensive destination for people coming from Europe,” she said.
The poor results from overseas markets were offset by a resurgence in domestic tourism, particularly from within Scotland itself. Scottish visits increased by 20.9% to 5.2m last year. The STB spokeswoman attributed this to a promotional campaign last spring that targeted the Scottish market more heavily than in previous years. Total visits generated from within the UK, including Scotland, rose by 7.1% to 10.5m last year.