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 Scotch
Whisky distilleries and visitor centres
give a much-needed boost to the economy,
the job market and bring growing numbers
of international tourists to Scotland,
according to a survey published today.
The Scotch Whisky and Tourism report
commissioned by the Scotch Whisky
Association (SWA) from 4-consulting also
identified the "distillery effect" which
sees tourism and cultural clusters
forming in production areas. Scotch
Whisky export growth is encouraging new
tourists from countries which are
discovering a taste for Scotch to come
to Scotland. Such visitors tend to spend
more while visiting Scotland.
The report reveals that visitor centres
and distilleries add £30.4 million in
value to the economy and provide 640
jobs – direct and indirect. The global
impact of Scotch Whisky tourism is clear
as nine out of ten (86.1%) distillery
visitors last year came from outside
Scotland, with nearly two thirds (62.3%)
from outside the UK.
Campbell Evans, SWA Director of
Government and Consumer Affairs, said:
"Scotch Whisky and tourism can be seen
as the perfect blend and complement one
another. Our survey shows the scale of
the economic impact of Scotch Whisky and
how exports can help drive up tourism.
Spending by tourists, and the jobs
created as a result, is injecting new
money into the Scottish economy."
To maximise the link between Scotch
Whisky and tourism, the industry,
hospitality sector and public agencies
created the Scotch Whisky Embassy
network in 2003. Comprising 90 hotels,
golf courses, bars and restaurants which
meet specific quality criteria, the
network added £43.2m to the economy and
created almost 1,400 jobs. Embassy
network members received just under
10.4m visits last year, with 43% coming
from outside Scotland.
The wider economic impact of Scotch
Whisky tourism is clear from analysing
the source of tourists and its
relationship to Scotch Whisky exports.
For example, China represents one of the
fastest growing tourist markets for
Scotland and Whisky was the Scottish
produce most commonly cited among
potential Chinese tourists.
On average, every £100 million of Scotch
Whisky exports are associated with
£20.6m of direct tourism spending. With
Scotch Whisky exports of more than £3bn,
it is estimated that the industry is
associated with around £640m of direct
tourism. After accounting for multiplier
effects, the overall impact it likely to
exceed £1 billion each year.
Mr Evans said: "We’ve found countries
which are the biggest export markets for
Scotch Whisky tend to spend more on
tourism in Scotland. At the same time,
in countries where the number of
tourists to Scotland increases we see a
willingness to pay more for a bottle of
Scotch Whisky. Scotch Whisky is an
important part of Scottish culture and
identity and has a wide role to play in
attracting overseas tourism."
Distillery and visitor centre examples:
Laphroaig Distillery Visitor Centre
received visitors from at least 61
different nationalities from June 2010
to May 2011, including Germany, Sweden,
US, Netherlands, Denmark and Canada.
Diageo distilleries welcomed visitors of
43 different nationalities last year
with Germany, France US and Spain being
in the top five alongside the UK.
The Scotch Whisky Experience in
Edinburgh has seen an increasing number
of visitors from growing export markets,
such as China and Russia.
The "distillery effect" is thought to
have created about 6,750 jobs across
Scotland in sports, recreational and
cultural industries and for those
companies providing accommodation,
including hotels and guest houses. Many
of these new positions are in rural
areas where job opportunities are
limited. One example of this phenomenon
in action is the Spirit of Speyside
Festival promoted last year to showcase
"the best of Scotland: whisky, food,
landscape and music."
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