Assessing the economic impacts of nature based tourism in Scotland

This report identified the following four segments.
1. Pony Trekking – this type of riding probably accounts for 90-95% of the tourism
equestrian market as a whole.
2. Casual Riding Holidays – this relates mainly to beginners and may involve hourlong
to half-day rides. The typical activity is pony trekking, which is not necessarily
central to the holiday experience.
3. Trail Riding – this activity is for the experienced rider – travelling from one
destination to another and staying in different accommodation.
4. Specialist Riding – this encompasses a variety of courses for adults, ranging from
learning to ride from scratch to perfecting the dressage technique.
According to the report, some 207,000 trips were made by UK residents to the
Highlands and Islands during which individuals participated in equestrian activities,
which:
• Resulted in 730,000 days spent in the area;
• Created net annual expenditure of £15.3m in the Highlands and Islands;
• Supported 393 FTEs in the area, including 282 direct FTEs.
We believe that only a small proportion of these visits will have primarily been for
riding.
8.3 Conclusions from equestrian reports
There is insufficient information to assess the tourism value of equestrian tourism with
confidence. Research suggests that businesses offering horse riding and pony
trekking in Scotland rely on local trade to supplement tourism income. The relatively
small number of equestrian businesses that target tourists suggest that horse riding
makes a minor contribution to the tourism economy.
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