EDINBURGH. Scotland’s run of ever-bigger tourism records has hit a bump, though not where it hurts. New figures from the Office for National Statistics show international visitors made 4.2 million trips to Scotland in 2025, about 2.5% fewer than in 2024. But they spent £3.9 billion, up 4%, and stayed longer.
Scotland also held up far better than the rest of the UK. Across the whole country, overseas visits fell about 4% and spending fell about 6%. In Scotland, spending went up.
Scotland’s international tourism in 2025, at a glance
| 2025 | Change vs 2024 | Change vs 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| International visits | 4.2 million | −2.5% | +21% |
| Spending | £3.9 billion | +4% | +54% |
| Nights spent in Scotland | 31.9 million | +6% | +16% |
Spending figures aren’t adjusted for inflation. Compared with 2019, the last year before the pandemic, Scotland now gets about a fifth more international visits, and those visitors spend more than half as much again.
Longer trips, bigger bills
The average international trip to Scotland lasted 7.6 nights in 2025, up from 7.0 the year before, and the average visitor spent £939 (up from £881). In other words, Scotland is getting slightly fewer visitors who stay longer and spend more.
Holidays drove it. Holidaymakers made 2.6 million trips (62%) and accounted for about three quarters of all spending. Business trips fell by about a fifth, and visits to friends and relatives dipped too.
Who’s visiting Scotland?
Europe still sends the most people, with 2.4 million trips (59%). North America accounts for 1.2 million trips (28%), and the rest of the world makes up the remaining 13%.
For Scotland, North America is where the growth is. North American visits rose 11% in 2025 while European visits fell, and North Americans spent £1.7 billion, up 17%. Across Great Britain as a whole, the United States was once again the biggest source of visitors, with 5.5 million trips.
Edinburgh is still the UK’s favorite city after London
Edinburgh drew 2.4 million international visits in 2025, second only to London among UK towns and cities and almost twice as many as Manchester (1.2 million) in third. Glasgow climbed to fifth with about 690,000 visits, overtaking Birmingham, and Inverness came 14th with just under 290,000.
All that demand comes at a price. Since 24 July 2026, Edinburgh charges a 5% visitor levy on hotel and short-term rental stays, and Glasgow and Aberdeen are next. Here’s our full guide to Scotland’s new tourist tax and what it costs you.
The bigger picture
International visitors are only part of the story. Counting day trips and British holidaymakers, Scotland recorded around 92 million tourism visits worth £11.4 billion in 2024, the latest year VisitScotland has published. Domestic overnight trips were falling, though, and the industry was feeling it. Marc Crothall of the Scottish Tourism Alliance warned in 2025 that many businesses face “rising operating costs, staff shortages, reduced profitability,” and that “a busy summer alone won’t secure their future.”
VisitScotland wants growth to spread beyond the usual hotspots and the summer peak. For visitors, that’s good news: Scotland’s lesser-known villages and a winter trip are easier on the wallet, and you’ll share the views and castles with far fewer people.
Sources:
– Travel trends: 2025, Office for National Statistics (16 October 2026)
– Travel trends estimates: overseas residents in the UK, ONS (2025, 2024 and 2019 editions)
– Tourism Performance, VisitScotland
– International visitors in record 4.4m trips to Scotland, Scottish Financial Review
