Supporting the growth of our rural economy and events sector

As Scotland’s national tourism and events organisation, VisitScotland’s purpose is to drive the visitor economy, growing its value to Scotland. 

Our focus is on delivering measurable impact, by driving internationalisation, supporting businesses, attracting investment and ensuring Scotland stands out in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. The visitor economy, and our role within it, cuts across policy areas including sport, culture, rural affairs and more. 

To maximise our impact, VisitScotland’s strategy focuses on four core priorities: 

• Market development: increasing our international connectivity and profile, driving trade, growing Scotland’s share of global travel in key markets and reinvigorating domestic travel, with a year-round and regional spread of visitors.   
• Place development: supporting regional economic strategies and developing our destinations by leveraging the opportunities of public and private sector investment.
• Business and experience development: expanding our support for the industry, driving internationalisation, product development and sustainability, to help businesses grow. Organisation development: ensuring our organisation is set up to deliver our priorities, with the right data, insight, skills and technology, in line with the Public Service Reform agenda. 

 By focusing our activity on areas that generate incremental economic growth, we ensure public funding delivers tangible outcomes. Our marketing activity alone generates £18 for every £1 invested, demonstrating the value of sustained investment.

Tourism and events are a cornerstone of Scotland’s economy, particularly in rural areas. The sector supports one in 11 jobs and one in 11 businesses across the country. Few sectors distribute economic value as widely or as inclusively. Tourism sustains communities in every part of Scotland, providing employment and supporting local economies, particularly in areas where alternative industries are limited.

Within this, agritourism is a notable success story. Increasing consumer interest in food provenance and sustainable travel has presented a real opportunity for our rural businesses. And it’s one we’ve successfully harnessed by working with partners across Scotland. As a result, agritourism has seen significant growth, supporting farms to diversify and thrive.

Our most recent research (2025) values Scotland’s agritourism sector at nearly £300 million, meaning it has already surpassed the sector’s 2030 target. As a country, we’re showing strong leadership, with the Global Agritourism Conference taking place this June in Aberdeen an important platform to bring together international delegates, share knowledge, develop partnerships and explore opportunities.

Looking to our events sector, both major global events and local and regional festivals continue to play a critical role in our visitor economy, supporting economic development and enhancing Scotland’s international reputation.  Events have the power to shift how people see and experience Scotland, encourage creativity and bring communities together. 

Scotland’s summer of sport underlines our position as the perfect stage for events. Glasgow will again host the Commonwealth Games, while Scotland’s world-class golf offering will welcome the sport’s biggest names to our iconic courses. Our presence at the FIFA World Cup will showcase Scotland to international audiences and encourage future travel through targeted destination marketing activity.

Looking ahead, we’ll maximise the opportunities brought by global events, including the Tour de France Grand Départ 2027, World Rally Championships in Aberdeenshire and the return of The Open to St Andrews, harnessing their huge international media presence to reach new audiences.  

Edinburgh’s Festivals continue to position Scotland at the heart of the global creative stage with the founding festivals celebrating their 80th anniversary in 2027. And our work with local authorities and event organisers ensures regional events are benefitting our communities, with support upweighted by our free-to-access online business support hub.

I look forward to engaging with MSPs, both new and returning, in this session of the Scottish Parliament to ensure that the benefits of Scotland’s visitor economy are felt more widely, supporting resilient communities and creating lasting value across the country.

This article is sponsored by Visit Scotland.

www.visitscotland.org