Insight Department: Canadian Visitors to Scotland September 2018
Welcome The Canadian 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. A Typical Visitor from Canada The typical Canadian visitor is likely to be between the ages of 34 and 54, in full-time employment and travelling with a spouse or partner. Typically, many Canadians choose to visit the USA and Mexico, when going on holiday. Due to a favourable exchange rate, more and more Canadians are choosing to make the trip over to Scotland. They tend to be knowledgeable, independent travellers who place high importance on quality, service and value for money. Most will be visiting Scotland for the first time. They will often tour a number of areas in Scotland, on average, 4.5 areas, enjoying cities, landscapes and historical attractions. Many combine their visit to Scotland as part of a wider trip to the UK and Europe, however, just as many visit Scotland alone. Over a third of Canadians mention they have ancestral links in Scotland and are the most likely out of markets surveyed to feel like they have connections to the country. Canadians believe that travelling abroad helps broaden education and understanding of different countries. Scotland is perceived as off the beaten track, a place not everyone flocks to and therefore a holiday that reflects well on ones perception of self. Meeting and conversing with local people is a crucial element to many Canadians holiday experience. They enjoy feeling like they are part of the community and are keen to hear stories about local history and culture. Canadian visitors arrive from many different provinces in Canada. Key source markets include Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia.
Visitors from Canada to the UK and Scotland in 2017 Visitors from Canada to the UK and Scotland in 2017 INDICATORS UK KEY FACTS SCOTLAND Total visits 835,000 115, 000 Visits by purpose 42% VFR 38% Holiday 11% Business 53% Holiday 41% VFR 6% Business Total nights 8,248,000 1,063,000 Total spend 602m * 90m Average length of stay 9.9 nights 9.3 nights Average spend per day 73 85 Average spend per visit 721 785 *3 year average (2015-2017) Source: IPS, 2017 In 2017, Canada was the UK s 14th largest source market measured by number of visits 11th largest by number of nights 12th largest by expenditure In 2017, Canada was Scotland s 10th largest source market measured by number of visits 5th largest by number of nights 7th largest by expenditure
Visitors from Canada 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 1143 36% 726 32% 9,046 37% Total 3,210 100% 2,276 100% 24,395 100% Source: IPS, 2017
Latest Information Visitors from Canada to Scotland INDICATORS KEY FACTS Total visits to Scotland 115,000 Total nights in Scotland 1,063,000 Total spend in Scotland 90m Average length of stay 9.3 nights Average spend per day 85 Average spend per visit 785 Source: IPS, 2017 Duration of stay Purpose of travel 1-3 nights (4%) 4-7 nights (26%) 8-14 nights (44%) 15+ nights (26%) Holiday (52%) Business (6%) VFR (41%) Seasonality Jan-Mar (11%) Apr-Jun (26%) Jul-Sep (47%) Oct-Dec (17%) Source: IPS, 2017
Regions Visited Visitor heat map Darker areas = more visitors Top regions visited Lothians Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley Highlands & Islands Source: IPS, 2017
Trends Information Visitors from Canada to Scotland VISITORS FROM CANADA TO SCOTLAND: 2008-2017 1. Total visit/nights/spend 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Total visits (000s) Total Spend ( m) 116 102 98 103 90 106 122 98 149 115 85 56 65 83 78 77 88 66 130 90 Total nights (000s) Source: IPS, 2017 1181 1091 954 1207 1046 1068 1109 985 1370 1063
2. Volume/Value trend 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Source: IPS, 2017 Sum of Visits (000s) Sum of Spend ( m)
Our visitors from Canada reduced in volume (-22%) and value (-31%) in 2017, meaning that they just snuck in to our top ten international markets this year in terms of visits. Both spend and visits were however still about 2015 levels, showing that 2016 was an incredibly strong year for visitors from Canada. Most Canadians come to Scotland for the purpose of a holiday, closely followed by the purpose of visiting their friends and family. One quarter of Canadians travel in quarter 2 (April June) and 47% travel in quarter 3 (July September). Very few visitors from Canada travel to Scotland for 1-3 days which is understandable given the distance and relative expense in travelling across the Atlantic. The most popular duration of stay is 8-14 days which is why visitors from Canada are the 5th largest market to Scotland in terms of nights. Direct to Edinburgh Air Canada Rouge Toronto Edinburgh (seasonal) Direct to Glasgow Air Canada Rouge Toronto Glasgow (seasonal) Air Transat Toronto Glasgow (all year round) Vancouver Glasgow (seasonal) WestJet Halifax Glasgow (seasonal)
MOTIVATIONS TO VISIT SCOTLAND Scenery & landscape 59% (survey average 50%) History & culture 57% (survey average 33%) SCOTLAND Always wanted to visit 34% (survey average 15%) To visit cities 19% (survey average 15%) Scotland s beautiful scenery and landscape is a strong motivator for Canadian visitors, along with the history and culture. Strong ancestral links to Scotland may encourage visitors from Canada to go off the beaten track. For those on a specific ancestral visit, sightseeing, researching ancestry and walking in their footsteps are key elements of a trip. TRANSPORT TO SCOTLAND 54% of visitors arrived by plane directly to Scotland. The most popular airports to arrive to were: Glasgow 59% Edinburgh 27% My Scottish ancestry 34% (survey average 9%) 29% arrived by plane (indirect): London Heathrow 28% Dublin Airport 23% Direct flights are more readily available to Scotland from Canada in comparison to long-haul markets which helps explain why more Canadians choose to fly directly to Scotland. Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2015/2016 CONNECTIONS TO SCOTLAND 70% of visitors from Canada had a connection to Scotland. The most common connections were: Had ancestors who lived in Scotland 38% Family live in Scotland 23% Friends live in Scotland 17% Visitors from Canada report the highest ancestral links compared to other long haul (USA, Australia) and European markets included in the visitor survey. Canadian visitors are also more likely to have family and friends in Scotland than their counterparts in the USA. PLANNING & BOOKING On average, visitors from Canada start to plan about 9 months ahead. Canadian visitors tend to plan further ahead than European markets, but less than other long-haul markets. Planning: Travel booking: Accommodation booking: 36.4 weeks 20.6 weeks 19.0 weeks Canadian visitors are most likely to talk with friends and family when planning their holiday. However, the use of printed travel guide books such as The Lonely Planet, Rough Guide or Fodors are also valuable as well as personal advice from travel professionals. Canadians are also more likely than average to use apps to aid their travel planning.
TOP 5 ACTIVITIES IN SCOTLAND Sightseeing by car/coach/on foot 88% (survey average 74%) Visited castle/ historic house 88% (survey average 60%) Visited cathedral, church 85% (survey average 46%) Visited cities 74% (survey average 42%) Visited a museum/art gallery 72% (survey average 45%) ACCOMMODATION Accommodation preferences: Hotel 57% (survey average 41%) B&B/GH 36% (survey average 20%) Friends/Family 24% (survey average 19%) Self-catering 18% (survey average 22%) Airbnb 11% (survey average 5%) Visitors from Canada are very active and enjoy undertaking a range of activities during their break in Scotland. Scenery, history and culture is a key factor for Canadians choice of holiday and this is reflected in their top activities. Further down the list of activities but notably higher for visitors from Canada than others were: Attended Highland Games 22% Aspects important in choosing accommodation: Location 77% Value for Money 62% Availability of free Wi-Fi at accommodation 39% Quality star grading 35% Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2015/2016
Satisfaction with the Visitor Experience Overall satisfaction rates for long haul visitors are extremely positive. Over half (51%), of Canadians rated their overall holiday experience a 10 out of 10. MEAN Top 2 Box (9 or 10) Overall rating of Holiday Experience (scale 1-10) 9.2 79% Likelihood to Recommend 9.3 82% 62% strongly agree that Scotland is a country worth visiting more than once 51% strongly agree That the local people I met during my visit really added to the holiday experience 49% strongly agree That they were made to feel really welcome Areas of the visitor experience which recorded mean scores below 8 include: Availability of local produce when eating out Availability of 3G/4G Value for money of eating out Availability of free Wi-Fi Mobile phone signal coverage Availability of free Wi-Fi at accommodation Source: Scotland Visitor Survey 2015/2016
Popular media channels Research with consumers from Canada on VisitScotland s database has provided examples of key media channels used by these consumers. Key Websites Used Google Facebook Hotmail MSN Yahoo BBC CBC Banking Sympatico.ca Expedia Weather Network Key Social Media Accounts Facebook TripAdvisor YouTube Google+ Pinterest Linkedin Instagram Twitter Key Newspapers Read (online or print) The Globe and Mail Toronto Star Vancouver Sun Ottowa Citizen Toronto Sun National Post New York Times Key Magazines Read (online or in print) Macleans Canadian Living Chatelaine National Geographic People Magazine Readers Digest Our Canada Source: VisitScotland Research 2014-2017
Barriers to Travel Although Scotland enjoys a positive image amongst visitors from Canada, we need to be aware of the range of barriers which may be in the mind-set of visitors when considering their holiday destination. Canadians place high importance on value for money, so cost is considered a critical factor in choosing a holiday destination. While still fairly high, Canadians had lower satisfaction scores of value for money and food, ranking below an 8 for both. Therefore Scotland may be perceived as a more expensive choice. Weather may be a barrier. Often described as Snowbird Travel Canadians may wish to escape from their own harsh weather conditions and opt for hotter places instead. It is important that the encouraging factors outweigh the perceived disadvantage of the weather when marketing Scotland to Canadians.
APPENDIX: International Passenger Survey 2017 USING AND INTERPRETING STATISTICAL DATA Source: 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 singleyear 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). CONTACT US Insight Department VisitScotland Ocean Point One 94 Ocean Drive Edinburgh EH6 6JH 0131 472 2222 research@visitscotland.com September 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