Heritage Sites and Film Locations Enjoy Surge in Visitor Numbers
Added: 12 Mar 2025
- Castles, heritage centres and historic sites performed strongly in 2024
- Attractions benefit from rise in international visitors and film and TV location tourism
- Edinburgh Castle remains number one paid-for attraction
- The National Museum of Scotland is the country’s top free attraction
Scotland’s historic attractions enjoyed a surge in visitor numbers last year thanks to a rise in international visitors and booming film and TV tourism, new figures reveal.
Visitor attractions across the country recorded 49,708,483 visits, up 3.9% on 2023.
Data from the Moffat Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University and the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) shows Culloden Visitor Centre increased 42.8% to 374,443, Stirling Castle was up 14.8% to 594,938, and St Giles’ Cathedral enjoyed an 18.3% increase, to 1,742,147.
Overall, heritage centres were up 13%, historic churches saw numbers increase by 10.2%, and castles and forts recorded a 7.1% rise.
Edinburgh Castle remained in the top spot as Scotland’s most popular paid-for attraction, with visitor numbers increasing 4% to 1,981,152.
The National Museum of Scotland remains the number one free attraction with numbers increasing 5.9% to 2,314,974.
Chris Greenwood, Senior Research Fellow at the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: “Heritage and culture are a major attraction among our international visitors with castles, heritage centres and historic sites all performing well.
“Many of Scotland’s heritage sites are used as filming locations which encourages visitors to undertake “set-jetting” trips to experience their favourite film and television productions, such as Outlander.
“We expect that trend to continue with the upcoming Netflix series The Undertow and Department Q, shot in the Highlands and Edinburgh, due for release in 2025.”
The overall number of visitors to paid-for attractions increased 2.4% to 17,849,139.
Free attractions racked up 31,859,344 visits in 2024, up 4.8% on the previous year.
Michael Golding, Chief Executive of the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA), said: “The success of Scottish attractions is underpinned by a resolute commitment to providing high-quality experiences that captivate and inspire visitors. The continued rise in visitor numbers, particularly at heritage sites and filming locations, highlights the power of authentic and immersive storytelling in attracting visitors.
“We must however recognise the ongoing challenges facing attractions – evidenced through five of the top 10 having a reduction in visitors and we’re committed to working with the sector to see continued improvement in both quality of experience and visitor numbers.”
Elsewhere, the opening of the £27million Perth Museum in March 2024 has led to spin-offs for nearby attractions. Perth Art Gallery experienced a 46.8% increase in visits, up 14,916 to 46,773, and St John’s Kirk recorded an uplift of 103.3% in visitor numbers to 19,535. Perth Museum recorded 216,390 visits in its opening months.
Meanwhile, The Burrell Collection in Glasgow recorded 555,888 visits, an increase of 11.6%, while the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh enjoyed an 8.9% increase to 1,999,196.
Business Minister Richard Lochhead said: “These figures hammer home the strength and breadth of Scotland’s tourism sector.
“I’m pleased that so many of the country’s much-loved attractions continue to attract more and more people through their doors. This is testament to the dedication of the thousands of people that work hard to create memorable experiences and showcase the best of Scotland’s history and culture to people worldwide.
“We will continue to work hand in hand with the sector to continue this upwards trend. In the Scottish Budget, we’ve allocated an additional £2 million to VisitScotland to help spearhead growth, benefitting attractions and businesses.”
Anne Lyden, Director General of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “This has been a record-breaking year for National Galleries Scotland: National, and we were elated to welcome almost two million visitors through the doors.
“We also celebrated the first anniversary of our free-to-visit Scottish galleries, with a remarkable 900,000 visitors exploring the very best historic Scottish art, illustrating the importance of making art free and accessible to all.”
