Scotland is a great tourist destination, and the tourism sector employs over 200,000 in the service sector. On average, tourists bring in revenue of about £4 billion each year, thus contributing significantly to the country’s economy. Take an example of the year 2013 when the country received at least eighteen million visitors from the UK who spent as much as £3.7 billion that year.

You will find attractions such as burial chambers, remains from the bronze, iron and stone ages, stone circles, battlegrounds, castles, houses, museums, ruins and standing stones. Those that enjoy some casino gaming experience would be glad to hear that there are several major casinos in Scotland situated mainly around the big cities.

The country also received visitors from other parts of the world who contributed at least £800 million to its economy. The overseas visitors mainly come from the United States who made up a quarter of the total tourists, with countries such as Germany, France, Australia, and Canada contributing to 30% of the visits.

The country has a vibrant culture which draws people from all over the world who seek to experience a different way of life. Most visitors arrive between April and October. However, over time, cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh have proven to attract tourists throughout the year, thus changing people’s mindsets on the best time to vacation.

There is a national tourist agency known as VisitThis country which aims to bring in more visitors to the state. They do this by coming up with strategies for marketing and seeking other areas to exploit such as tourism in the areas of fishing, golf, drinks, and food. Another key reason why people visit this country is to trace their family roots through the use of genealogy. This practice is quite common especially with visitors from North America.

Places to visit

Other places of interest include Ayrshire, Inverness, and Perth.

Recently, councilors in Edinburgh came up with proposals on occupancy levies where they hope to charge tourists a tax which would help develop the city to high levels. Given that the city is the most significant tourist destination in the state, one can only hope that the debut of such a levy will not scare away potential tourists.