Assessing the economic impacts of nature based tourism in Scotland

14 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS
14.1 Improve data collection and analysis
Existing tourism surveys and data collection methods do not provide a measure of the
proportion of visitors who come to Scotland motivated principally by its nature –
although there are many reports and surveys (as this report shows) that highlight the
importance of the natural heritage to Scottish tourism. This study has utilised existing
data to their full extent. New data is required for more accurate assessments.
VisitScotland is planning a major national visitor survey in 2010, subject to agreement
on European funding.
Furthermore as this study shows, many nature based tourism activities, such as
watersports, require technical equipment and training, but an appropriate proportion of
this related expenditure is not normally attributed to the natural heritage. For example,
the Outdoor Industries Association (OIA) canvassed the opinions of around 3,500
outdoor consumers across the UK. Their research revealed that despite the economic
downturn, 54% of core consumers do not intend to reduce their spending on outdoor
products and only 13% will cut back (33% are undecided) (OIA ,2009).
Recommendation 1:
There is a need to improve data that would enable more exact analysis of:
• the importance of the natural heritage (and different aspects of this) in encouraging
visitors to holiday in Scotland;
• the wider economic contribution to Scotland’s economy of nature based tourism
potentially including benefits from improved health and wellbeing, as well as
expenditures on special vehicles, boats, technical equipment, outdoor clothing,
books, tuition in outdoor pursuits, etc.
14.2 Establish norms and consistent methodologies
There is great inconsistency in how economic impacts were addressed in the different
studies that we assessed for this report. Some norms, ratios and assumptions appear
broadly correct, but others are clearly wrong. In some cases, this will have been due to
the inexperience of researchers, failure to apply reality checks to findings, and/or noneconomists
attempting economic analysis.
Recommendation 2:
There is a need to establish:
• common research methodologies, especially amongst public agencies;
• norms for economic impact ratios – including ratios for visitor expenditure to
employment generated, GVA to employment generated, differing ratios for
Scotland and regions within Scotland, etc.
14.3 Improve the estimation of net employment impact
Having used appropriate ratios to convert visitor expenditure into FTEs, it is important
to allow for the additionality of an activity and the displacement that might arise within
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