Aberdeen and the north-east experienced a tourism boom last year as the economic impact from visitors exceeded £1.1 billion for the first time.
The new report from Global Tourism Solutions shows the region attracted more than three million staying visitors in 2023, up 32.7% on 2022.
The new South Harbour at Port of Aberdeen meant the city saw an influx of cruise ship visitors last year, while Aberdeen Airport also reported a rise in tourists.
Investments in upgrading Aberdeen Art Gallery and Teca in the last five years have also played a part according to tourism experts.
We investigated what’s behind the growing appeal of the area – and if it will continue.
Aberdeen cruise ships bringing in tourists
Port of Aberdeen’s £420m South Harbour expansion, completed in August last year, has opened up new cruise ship opportunities for the city.
Numbers appear to have backed that up with more than 50 cruise calls confirmed so far for 2024, a increase of 130% with harbour bosses expecting it to boost the local economy by £4.5m.
Around 34,000 people are expected to visit the Granite City with each cruise call to Scotland generating an average spend of £134 per passenger.
A Port of Aberdeen spokesman adds: “We are forecasting sustained growth in the coming years, which will bring tens of thousands of guests to the City and Shire.
“Our world-class facility, coupled with the amazing destination, is positioning the region as one of the UK’s top cruise destinations.”
Aberdeen Airport visitor numbers growing
Aberdeen International Airport saw passengers numbers hit 2.3 million last year an increase from 2.1m in 2022.
Robert Paterson, Aberdeen International Airport head of operations, said a terminal expansion in 2019 has played a “significant role” in the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire visitor economy.
Some of the popular routes you can travel to includes Turkey, Tenerife, Malaga and Corfu.
P&J Live drawing in the crowds
P&J Live, part of the Teca campus in Aberdeen, has also proved to be a crowd puller.
The venue, which replaced the Aberdeen Exhibition Conference and Centre, opened in 2019.
The £400m Teca development also includes two hotels – the adjoining Hilton with 200 bedrooms and Aloft Hotel with 150 bedrooms.
Rob Wicks, P&J Live managing director, said: “It’s encouraging to see the growth in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire’s visitor economy, and we are proud of the contribution our venue makes towards this growth.
“Last year saw the welcome return of SPE Offshore Europe, which due to the pandemic had not been held since 2019. It attracted more than 800 exhibitors and almost 30,000 attendees.
“On the entertainment front, P&J Live welcomed 21,000 people to Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road in June 2023, with 55% of fans travelling from non-AB postcodes.
“These two concerts alone had pumped almost £1m into the local economy.
“P&J Live also hosted Scotland’s highest-ever selling indoor show when Lewis Capaldi took to the stage in January 2023, with 15,000 attending the sold-out show.
“It was tough for the venue coming out of the pandemic, but we are seeing encouraging signs based on business in 2024 and forward bookings for 2025 and beyond.”
Record breaking year for National Trust in north-east
The National Trust for Scotland confirmed visitor numbers for 2023 exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
More than 616,000 people visited the 11 NTS locations throughout the north-east in 2023.
It is the first time in its 93-year history that the charity exceeded 500,000 visitors and a 29% increase on pre-pandemic figures.
Among the most popular destinations was Pitmedden Garden and Crathes Castle.
Iain Hawkins, NTS north-east regional director, said: “Sharing the north east’s precious heritage with more than 616,000 visitors made 2023 a record breaking year – over 125,000 more than we’ve ever seen in the National Trust for Scotland’s 90 plus year history.
“This summer we’ll be re-opening Craigievar Castle after an 18-month conservation project, unveiling an acre of new natural playpark at Drum Castle and hosting new events like the Battle of Fyvie Festival, so we’re looking forward to an even bigger and better 2024!”
More tourists means more business
A number of local businesses have also seen a rise in trade thanks to the influx of tourists.
Jacqueline van den Akker from Auchenblae-based Grampian Escapes and Tours, now has a team of three tour guides after taking on additional staff to cope with demand.
Last year was “record breaking” for the business hosting more than 1,100 guests, between April and October.
So far, they have seen a 50% increase in bookings for this year, having already surpassed the number of total tour days booked in 2023.
Jacqueline said: “Many visitors are starting to spend a couple of days in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire now, rather than passing through, which can only be a positive.
“Balmoral and Royal Deeside continue to big draws for guests, but we are also seeing growth in our other tour destinations, such as the Buchan Coast and Mearns.”
Employment, accommodation and food and drink rising
Tour guides weren’t the only sector to enjoy a boost in employment numbers.
The tourism sector employed 11,000 full-time people in 2023, a 9.3% increase on 2022.
Day visitors also increased with Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire welcoming more than 2.5m visitors, up 18.6% on 2022.
Among the other encouraging figures was £223m was spent on accommodation within the region, up 35% on 2019, £178m on food and drink an increase of 31.3% on 2019 and £220m was spent on transport, up 33% on 2019.
Tourism a ‘vibrant sector’
Data from the 2022 report showed around £912m of economic impact.
The economic impact report’s findings are based on hotel occupancy levels and data from festivals, events and attractions.
Chris Foy, VisitAberdeenshire chief executive, said: “It is extremely encouraging to see clear evidence that tourism is not just bouncing back, but is a burgeoning, vibrant sector.
“It is making a difference to lives and livelihoods from Aberdeen to Alford and from St Cyrus to Sandend.
“A combination of investment in high quality infrastructure by the public and private sector and investment in VisitAberdeenshire’s work by Opportunity North East, and our local authorities is bearing fruit.
“We know now that tourism is growing at pace, but we cannot afford to stand still. As a destination, we are scratching the surface of what is possible.”