Outdoor trumps indoor as pandemic hits visitor attraction sector

Outdoor visitor attractions fared much better than indoor sites last year, as COVID-19 continued to devastate the sector.

New figures, collated by the Moffat Centre at GCU, reveal overall visitor numbers were more than 47% down on pre-pandemic levels.

Last year’s most visited paid-entry attraction was Edinburgh Zoo, with 632,122 visitors, whilst the National Museum of Scotland was the country’s top free attraction, with 660,741 visitors, according to data produced on behalf of the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions.

Paid-entry attractions welcomed just over 9 million visitors during 2021, compared to over 20 million in 2019 (a drop of 55%), whilst free venues had just over 20.2 million visitors last year compared to 35.5 million in 2019 (a drop of just over 43%).

Outdoor, family-themed attractions, and sites with grounds and open-air activities, fared much better than predominantly indoor sites – reflecting continued consumer anxieties about infection transmission risks in enclosed spaces.

Professor John Lennon, Director of the Moffat Centre at GCU, said: “We don’t foresee overseas visitor numbers returning to pre-pandemic levels until 2025 – so attractions will continue to be heavily reliant on the domestic market.

“Business recovery will depend very much on the custom of the people of Scotland and the UK.

“Visiting Scottish attractions not only demonstrates support of them, it helps safeguard the future of a sector that’s a vital contributor to the country’s economy and also performs a crucial custodial role in protecting Scotland’s heritage, culture and identity.”

Gordon Morrison, Chief Executive of ASVA, which represents more than 500 sites across Scotland, added: “The data provides clear evidence that our sector has been hit extremely hard for a considerably extended period of time due to the consequences of the pandemic.

"Although we’ve seen some very welcome positive signs that business at a number of attractions is beginning to bounce back, so many of our operators are still in survival mode, and the vast majority unfortunately still face a very long road ahead to recovery.”