Assessing the economic impacts of nature based tourism in Scotland

Table 51 - Impacts of nature based activities
Important
or very
important
%
Visitor
spend
£m
Tourism
related
employment
‘000
GVA
£m
Outdoor activities as a motivator 58 1,523.1 126.6 2,343.2
Taking all these figures together would suggest the following (with the
caveat above on tourism-related employment):
Visitor
spend
£m
Tourism
related
employment
‘000
GVA
£m
Total impacts of tourism inspired by nature 2,363.4 196.4 3,636.0
Impacts of tourism based on nature 1,981.0 163.7 3,030.0
Impacts of nature based activity tourism 1,523.1 126.6 2,343.2
Impacts of passive nature based tourism 457.9 37.1 1,686.8
The figures derived from the Visitor Experience Survey are very high in comparison
with those suggested in the ERM report (2004), and are based on a relatively small
sample of visitors. On the other hand, Harris Interactive points out that the scenery
and the number of things to see and do are factors that have consistently been the
most important reasons for choosing Scotland as a holiday destination over a number
of years. The scenery and the landscapes, the wildlife they support, and the activities
they enable and encourage are deeply embedded in the image of Scotland which
attracts visitors to the country and perhaps we should not be surprised if they generate
a high proportion of current tourism impacts.
13.5 Best estimates of the contribution of nature based tourism to tourism in
Scotland
Estimating the aggregate value of the different activities based on the natural
environment involved amalgamating elements from the surveys and reports reviewed
in previous sections of this report. This was not straightforward, however, as the
reports used differing methodologies and assumptions, and figures needed to be
reworked to achieve consistent results – using consistent multipliers where
appropriate, consistent ratios between visitor expenditure and employment, etc.
Double counting was minimised through our choice of weighted averages in
calculating activity totals and, additionally, by balancing additions and losses between
nature based activities as many people indulge in several different activities during
their holiday trip.
Displacement of spending by tourists from Scotland also needs to be allowed for as
some, but not all, of their overnight stay and day spending would otherwise have been
spent in Scotland had they not made the trips.
The indicative analysis in Table 51 below gives our best estimates, on the basis of the
reports we have appraised, of the proportions of spending by tourist visitors to
Scotland that can be attributed to the different aspects of the country’s natural
heritage. There is less confidence in the estimates for some of these individual
activities than for nature based tourism as a whole.
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