Travelling to and from Scotland

Scotland is the most northerly country in the UK, but it’s a great base to travel to and from. We spoke to Donna Black, Press Manager for VisitScotland, to sort the facts from the fiction.

"There are several reasons why Scotland has become a lot more popular in recent years. “There are more direct flights connecting Scotland to Europe," says Donna."Flight companies such as Ryanair and easyJet are cost effective."

There has been a huge increase in the number of visitors to Scotland. "The number of people who have visited Scotland has gone up hugely in the past six years. From 2001-2006, the number of international visitors Scotland has received has gone up 72%," says Donna.

The most popular places to visit are the main cities. "Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Highlands get the most visitors. This hasn’t changed in the past few years. However, there is a nice spread of visitors all over Scotland though. But people come to Scotland through Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports and train stations. Therefore, our calculations are affected by this fact," says Donna.

Scotland’s connections have also helped increase the number of visitors. “It has easy connections with the rest of the UK," says Donna. "Flights here are connected to the United States, Canada and Dubai now. So we have got fantastic international connections.

"Once you’re here, it’s really easy to access the country from cities such as Glasgow. You can hire a car, and in a couple of hours you’re in the wilderness; you won’t see another single person."

Donna believes that Scotland’s cold weather also helps attract visitors. "The coldness of Scotland doesn’t put people off coming," she says. "People don’t come to sunbathe. They know that there are things to see and do. They come here for the scenery, culture and friendly people of Scotland. People know what to expect; they know the weather is a bit different.

"In fact, there is research to show that people from warmer places like getting four seasons in a day… and that’s what we have in Scotland!"

Related links

• Winter White
• VisitScotland