More visitors from abroad are visiting the Cairngorms National Park than ever before, new data has revealed.
Every five years, the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) commissions rexperts to carry out a year-long visitor survey.
The results, published yesterday, showed increased rates of visitor satisfaction with a store of 9.08 out of 10 – compared to 8.87 out of 10 in 2014.
The most popular spots included Loch Morlich, the Highland Wildlife Park and Balmoral Castle.
Heather Trench, the authority’s sustainable tourism officer, said: “The research carried out is very consistent with the 2014/15 data, with visitor satisfaction on the increase and people saying there was very little that could be done to improve on the visitor offering here, other than some very practical suggestions such as better public transport and more public toilets.
“General sightseeing and low-level walking continue to be the most popular activities among visitors, with the most popular attractions Loch Morlich and Loch an Eilein near Aviemore, the Highland wildlife park near Kingussie, and Balmoral Castle in Deeside.
“Numbers of international visitors are on the increase, though the majority of our visitors continue to come from Scotland, with self-catering accommodation still the most popular, while the number of those choosing to camp or caravan is on the rise.”
The survey also revealed a rise in walkers and a corresponding decrease in cyclists, and an increase in visitors happy to make a donation to local access and nature projects.
