One of the many benefits of the European Union to Scotland
is the support it provides to the Scottish tourism industry.
In 2014, 1.5 million people from EU countries outside the
rest of the UK visited Scotland, amounting to 10% of the total visitors to
Scotland. Not only are EU visitors a substantial portion of those who choose
Scotland as their holiday destination, they are also big spenders. Tourists
from EU countries spent £800 million, around 40% of international visitor
spend. Visitors from France, Germany, and Spain alone spent £381 million in
2014.
Scotland’s airports
saw 1.8 million overseas residents walking through its terminals with over
1 million, or 57% of the total, of those coming from the rest of the EU,
outside of the UK. Glasgow Airport in particular has secured direct routes to
key European cities, such as Madrid, Prague, Milan, and Budapest.
With Scotland’s vast attractions, from the desolate beauty
of the Highlands to vibrant, historic cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow it is
easy to see why our small country has so many visitors from the EU.
But it is not only major attractions which see large numbers
of visitors, but also those we have locally, such as the Summerlee Museum of
Industrial Life. Summerlee has some of Scotland’s most important displays of
social and industrial history. We often fail to realise what we have right on
our doorstep, but Summerlee is just one example of what the local area has to
offer to the tourism industry.
These advantages of EU tourists visiting Scotland are, of
course, in addition to the benefits we get as tourists visiting the EU
ourselves. The EU allows us to travel hassle-free to numerous European
countries, as well as helping to keep down the cost of trains, ferries, and airfare.
In addition, the healthcare guarantees with the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
allow us all to travel with peace of mind.
The EU makes Scotland an attractive market in Europe for
tourism, and provides us with affordable, hassle-free access to travel in
Europe. It would be to the detriment of both the Scottish tourism industry and those of us who travel to Europe for business or pleasure alike for Scotland to leave the EU.