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September 2018

Insight Department:Dutch Visitors to Scotland

INSIGHT DEPARTMENT: DUTCH VISITORS TO SCOTLAND

The ‘Dutch Visitors to Scotland’ factsheet provides the latest data and trends on the volume and value of visitors from the International Passenger Survey (IPS). This factsheet also provides information on the latest consumer trends and attitudes.

Welcome

A Typical Visitor from The Netherlands

• Dutch visitors are typically well-educated, affluent couples who are keen to have authentic cultural experiences, and have an interest in culture, landscape and wildlife. Many Dutch visitors are on a repeat visit to Scotland and many may know the country well.

• While hotels remain popular, Dutch visitors show a particular interest in camping.

• Dutch visitors have a high propensity to do outdoor activities when they are on holiday, such as touring, hiking and seeing wildlife. They state the range of activities as a key motivation for visiting Scotland.

• Dutch travellers are typically very independent and speak a good level of English, being taught it as a second language from a young age. Language is not a barrier for most.

• A high proportion of visitors enter directly via plane into Edinburgh and Glasgow Airport. Dutch visitors are also more likely than average to use ferries and bring their own car.

• Dutch visitors are likely to be visiting from North Holland (incl. Amsterdam), South Holland (incl. Rotterdam and the Hague), North Brabant and Utrecht.


INDICATORSKEY FACTS

UK SCOTLAND

Total visits 2,136,000 157,000

Visits by purpose39% Holiday

29% Business25% VFR

58% Holiday 22% Business

19% VFR

Total nights 9,450,000 776,000

Total spend £745m £93m

Average length of stay 4.4 nights 4.9 nights

Average spend per day £79 £120

Average spend per visit £349 £592

*3 year average (2015-2017) Source: IPS, 2017

In 2017, Netherlands was the UK’s

• 6th largest source market measured by number of visits

• 10th largest by number of nights

• 9th largest by expenditure

In 2017, Netherlands was Scotland’s

• 5th largest source market measured by number of visits

• 9th largest by number of nights

• 6th largest by expenditure

Visitors from Netherlands to the UK and Scotland in 2017

Visitors from The Netherlands to The UK and Scotland in 2017

Visitors from Netherlands to Scotland Compared to Other Overseas Markets:


TRIPS SPEND NIGHTS

000s % £m % 000s %

USA 566 18% 556 24% 4,949 20%

Germany 372 12% 285 13% 2,609 11%

France 206 6% 106 5% 1,764 7%

Australia 157 5% 134 6% 1,510 6%

Netherlands 157 5% 93 4% 776 3%

Irish Republic 128 4% 35 2% 405 2%

Norway 123 4% 68 3% 892 4%

Spain 122 4% 109 5% 602 2%

Italy 121 4% 74 3% 779 3%

Canada 115 4% 90 4% 1,063 4%

Rest of World 1,143 36% 726 32% 9,046 37%

Total 3,210 100% 2,276 100% 24,395 100%

Source: IPS, 2017

Latest Information Visitors from Netherlands to Scotland


Seasonality

Purpose of travel Duration of stay

3 year average (2015-2017)Source: IPS, 2017

INDICATORS KEY FACTS

Total visits to Scotland 157,000

Total nights in Scotland 776,000

Total spend in Scotland £93m

Average length of stay 4.9 nights

Average spend per day £120

Average spend per visit £592

Source: IPS, 2017

Holiday (58%)

Business (22%)

VFR (19%)

1-3 nights (37%)

4-7 nights (37%)

8-14 nights (17%)

15+ nights (9%)

Jan-Mar (11%)

Apr-Jun (42%)

Jul-Sep (30%)

Oct-Dec (18%)


Regions Visited

Top regions visited Lothians Highlands & Islands Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley

Source: IPS, 2017

Visitor Heat Map

Darker areas = more visitors

Trends InformationVisitors from Netherlands to Scotland


VISITORS FROM NETHERLANDS TO SCOTLAND: 2008 - 2017

Source: IPS, 2008-2017

1. Total visit/nights/spend

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Total visits (000s) 138 140 135 131 150 138 149 157 115 157

Total Spend (£m)

112 58 63 64 77 89 80 76 62 93

Total nights(000s) 1222 672 834 786 946 993 873 901 884 776

2. Volume/Value trend

Source: IPS, 2017

Dutch visitors make up our 5th largest source market in terms of visitor numbers and our 6th largest in terms of visitor spend. 2017 saw the largest number of visitors from the Netherlands to Scotland in the last decade and the second largest tourism expenditure receipts over the same time period.

On average over one quarter of visitors from the Netherlands arrive by sea annually , most likely in their own transportation whether it is a campervan or car. This method of getting to Scotland is more popular than flying between July-September, with 54% of Dutch arriving in Scotland by sea. This method of transport means it is not surprising that the average number of nights per trip increases over July-August to 7.3 nights, compared to the annual average of 4.9 nights.

The most popular season for visitors from the Netherlands to come in is April – June, with 42% choosing this time to visit. Dutch visitors enjoy good all year air connectivity to Scotland with 94% of visitors who travel in October-March choosing this method of transportation.


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2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Sum of Visits (000s) Sum of Spend (£m)

History & culture 54% (survey average 33%)

Scenery & landscape 75% (survey average 50%)

SCOTLAND Always wanted to visit 38% (survey average 15%)

To visit cities 27% (survey average 15%)

35% of Dutch visitors had a connection to Scotland. The most common connections were:

Friends live in Scotland 9%

Family live in Scotland 6%

Scotland’s beautiful scenery and landscape is a strong motivator for Dutch visitors, along with the history and culture. Scotland is viewed as an ideal destination to venture off the beaten track and enjoy unspoilt landscape and wildlife. Dutch visitors like taking

“touring” holidays, where they have the opportunity to take in all the sights.

Although some visitors from The Netherlands have family/friend connections, this is generally lower than for long haul markets. A more significant amount had no personal connections but were repeat visitors to Scotland.

PLANNING & BOOKING

On average, Dutch visitors start to plan about 6 months ahead, slightly further ahead than the average European visitor. This may be due to the touring and activity nature of their holidays in Scotland.

Planning:Travel booking:Accommodation booking:Dutch visitors are likely to use the internet as an information source for holiday booking, such as search engines and review websites, as well as talking with friends and family. They are also much more likely than average to use printed travel guide books (e.g. Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Fordors).

TRANSPORT TO SCOTLAND

41% of visitors arrived by plane directly to Scotland. The most popular airports to arrive to were:Edinburgh 53%Glasgow 36%Aberdeen 4%

3% arrived by plane (indirect)

Dutch visitors were also much more likely than other European markets to use their own car 35% (European survey average 14%) and travel by boat/ship or ferry 27% (European survey average 9%). Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2015/2016

24.5 weeks 13.7 weeks10.0 weeks

No personal connections but had visited many times 14%

CONNECTIONS TO SCOTLANDMOTIVATIONS TO VISIT SCOTLAND


Scotland’s reputation for friendly people 24% (survey average 15%)

Range of activities available 21% (survey average 14%)

TOP 5 ACTIVITIES IN SCOTLAND

Visited cathedral, church 72% (survey average 46%)

Visited castle/ historic house 62% (survey average 60%)

Visited cities 65% (survey average 42%)

Sightseeing by car/coach/on foot 80% (survey average 74%)

Visitors from The Netherlands are typically very active during their holiday in Scotland.

Slightly lower down the list but notably higher for visitors from The Netherlands were:

Aspects Important in Choosing Accommodation:

Location 73%

Value for Money 43%

Availability of free Wi-Fi at accommodation 21%

Quality star grading 19%

Hotel 52% (survey average 41%)

Camping 18% highest across all markets (survey average 6%)

B&B/GH 18% (survey average 20%)

Self-catering 17% (survey average 22%)

Friends/family 16% (survey average 19%)

ACCOMMODATION

Long walk, hike or ramble 55%*(which was the highest figure across all markets surveyed)

Accommodation Preferences:

Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2015/2016

Centre based walking (i.e around a town centre) 70% (survey average 45%)

Watched wildlife, birdwatching 21%



Dutch visitors were positive about their experience in Scotland and just over half are highly likely to recommend Scotland as a destination (although slightly lower than the European average).

Satisfaction with the Visitor Experience

MEAN Top 2 Box (9 or 10)

Overall rating of Holiday Experience (scale 1-10) 8.6 48%

Likelihood to Recommend 8.6 51%

Areas of the visitor experience which recorded mean scores below 8 include:

Availability of free Wi-Fi

Mobile phone signal coverage

Availability of local produce when eating out Availability of 3G/4G

Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2015/2016

Value for money of eating out

Availability of free Wi-Fi at accommodation


Popular media channels

Research with consumers from The Netherlands on VisitScotland’s database has provided examples of key media channels used by these consumers.

Key Websites Used

• Google• Facebook• Hotmail

• Startpagina• Telegraaf• Marktplaats

• Buienradar• Hyves

Key Social Media Accounts

• Facebook• WhatsApp• YouTube

• Google+• TripAdvisor• LinkedIn

• Instagram• Twitter• Pinterest

Key Newspapers Read (online or print)

• De Telegraaf• De Volkskrant• Nrc

• Metro• Spits• Nu.nl

• Algemeen Dagblad• Noordhollands Dagblad• Trouw

Key Magazines Read (online or in print)

• Libelle• Kampioen• Margriet

• Elsevier• Reizen• Landleven

• Plus• Quest• National Geographic

Influential TV Programmes for Travel

• Outlander • Coast • Braveheart

Source: VisitScotland Research 2014-2017

Direct to Edinburgh

EasyJet: Amsterdam – Edinburgh (all year round)

KLM: Amsterdam – Edinburgh (all year round)

Ryanair: Eindhoven - Edinburgh (all year round)

Direct to Glasgow

EasyJet: Amsterdam – Glasgow (all year round)

KLM: Amsterdam – Glasgow (all year round)

Direct to Aberdeen

KLM: Amsterdam – Aberdeen (all year round)

Connectivity


Direct to Inverness

KLM: Amsterdam – Inverness (all year round)

CONTACT US

Insight DepartmentVisitScotlandOcean Point One94 Ocean DriveEdinburgh EH6 6JH

0131 472 [email protected] 2018

visitscotland.com visitscotland.org

Disclaimer: VisitScotland has published this report in good faith to update stakeholders on its activity. VisitScotland has taken all reasonable steps to confirm the information contained in the publication is correct. However, VisitScotland does not warrant or assume any legal liability for the accuracy of any information disclosed and accepts no responsibility for any error or omissions. Images © VisitScotland

USING AND INTERPRETING STATISTICAL DATASource: Data is sourced from the Office for National Statistics’ International Passenger Survey (IPS). Information about the survey can be found on the VisitBritain website www.visitbritain.org (Insights & Statistics section) or the Office for National Statistics website www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/index.html.

Sample Sizes: Analysis of sub-groups, such as trips by purpose or demographic group, relies on small sample sizes that can be unreliable. Where this is a particular issue, methods to aggregate data, such as using a 3-year average instead of single-year data, have been used. Before using the data, it is important to recognise the limitations of using a small sample size. Further information, including methodology and sample sizes, can be found on the VisitBritain website www.visitbritain.org (Insights & Statistics section).

APPENDIX:International Passenger Survey 2017

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