Tourism spin-offs from film and TV productions are now worth a record £140 million to the Scottish economy – with long-running fantasy series Outlander proving the main inspiration for “set-jetting” visits to locations, attractions and events linked to the show.
Screen tourism is said to be supporting nearly 3000 full-time equivalent jobs, according to new industry research.
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The study, for the Scottish Government agency Screen Scotland, has suggested that more than 1.14 million overnight stays are now being inspired by films and TV shows every year – almost double the equivalent figure a decade ago.
And more than two thirds of trips to film and TV locations or related attractions around Scotland are now being made by visitors from outside the UK.
The value of screen tourism to Scotland is more than double the previous estimate of £65m in 2019, the year before the global tourism industry was shut down by the pandemic.
Scottish screen tourism is said to have made a “significant recovery” since Covid restrictions were lifted, with film and TV inspired visitors now said to be spending a total of £787 million on their trips.
It also represents more than a fifth of the overall value of Scotland's film and tourism industry, which has been estimated at a record £718 million and includes spending on major productions.
Latest research from national tourism agency VisitScotland reveals that one in five visitors now cite a Scottish film, TV show or book as a source of inspiration for their trip. This figure rises to 36 per cent for visitors from Europe and 37% for long-haul visitors.
Commissioned for the Starz streaming platform in the United States and produced by Sony, Outlander by far the most popular production cited in VisitScotland research, ahead of the big-screen adaptations of the Harry Potter movies and the crime drama Shetland.
Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning epic Braveheart, the classic Highland-set comedy drama Local Hero and fantasy film Highlander, which is being remade 30 years after the original with Scottish actress Karen Gillan in a starring role, are all still said to be attracting significant numbers of set-jetting visitors to Scotland.
However screen tourism experts at VisitScotland say Outlander - which went into production at Wardpark Studios in Cumbernauld in 2013 - as the country’s biggest ever driver for film and TV-inspired visitors due to its global reach, longevity and the number of locations used across the country.
Seven series of Outlander have been screened to date, with an eighth and final run of episodes due to be aired early next year. A spin-off prequel show, Blood of My Blood, which launched in August, and a second series has already been greenlit.
Jenni Steele, film and creative industries manager at VisitScotland, told The Herald: “We a really good relationship about Outlander with Sony from early on. We had worked with them before on the films The Water Horse and The Da Vinci Code. They knew what we did and how we managed film projects.
“Right from the start, we were thinking about how we could work together to maximise promotion of the series also the whole essence of Scotland to bring it to life for people.
“We knew that Outlander was going to be pretty big as the books had already been coming out for 20 years and had a huge following, we knew it was going to be set and shot in Scotland, and we knew it would have Jacobite heritage, romance, landscapes and time travel, and we knew that some really interesting bits of Scottish history would be brought to life.
“But I don’t think we knew how big it would be, because of how many series that there would be, the markets around the world that it went on to be shown in and the knock-on opportunities it would create for years to come. It is definitely the biggest film or TV project that we have ever worked on.
“There are so many different things that like beneath what you see on screen in Outlander. It has created massive opportunities for us to promote not just the filming locations, but also around heritage, culture, the Gaelic language and ancestry.
“The beauty of Outlander is that it has been filmed at so many locations across Scotland. There is a really good spread and variety of them. It's not sending a lot of people to the one place.“We see huge spikes of interest on our website whenever there is something happening with Outlander, such as the launch of a new series around the world. The Outlander Effect has been incredible. It’s still going strong and it’s not showing any signs of slowing down.”
Outlander locations which have seen the biggest increase in visitor numbers since being featured in the show include Blackness Castle and Linlithgow Palace, both in West Lothian, Culross Palace, in Fife, Doune Castle, near Stirling, Glasgow Cathedral, and Preston Mill and Newhailes House, both in East Lothian.
However the show’s value to the tourism industry has been boosted by Outlander- themed tours, itineraries and events, as well as fan gatherings and conventions.
Ms Steele added: “As each series has been on, we have found that as well as going to see the various filming locations, the fans really want to do Outlander-style events and feel that they are really living that Outlander life when they are here.
“There are Outlander fans groups all over the world. They have this massive connection online about the series and the characters. But what they really want to do is have that experience in Scotland.
“It’s obviously quite a financial investment to come to Scotland from overseas, but it's also really strong emotional investment for fans of Outlander. as they are fans of the show and the characters. We really want to make sure that their visit lives up to their expectations.”
The West Lothian-based company Mary’s Meanders was one of the first businesses to offers tours of Outlander locations. Fans are able to visit more than 20 of them on their biggest tour, which runs for six days.
Founder Emma Filgas said: “We originally started out as a walking tour company focused on Linlithgow and Mary, Queen of Scots. Outlander came along at an early stage of our company. We realised it was going to be big and seized the opportunity.
“The only way to describe an Outlander tour – whether it lasts a single day or a full week – is joyful.
“Our guests are always thrilled to arrive at each location, often reciting the dialogue word-for-word from the scenes filmed there.
“Screen tourism has proved to be a powerful driver for Scottish tourism. It often acts as a gateway. A viewer’s interest is sparked by a location they see on screen, but once here, many extend their stay to walk in the footsteps of beloved characters and go on to discover Scotland in greater depth.”
Ms Steele expects the benefits of Outlander being made in Scotland to be felt in Scotland for decades to come, with the tourism industry still capitalising on the Braveheart, which was released 30 years ago, Local Hero, which was released in 1983, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which was released in 1995.
However she also suggested “The Outlander Effect” had led to VisitScotland running campaigns linked to a wider variety of film and TV productions, including Danny Boyle’s T2: Trainspotting sequel, the BBC crime drama Shetland and the feature film The Outrun, which was largely filmed in the Orkney Islands.
She added: “Outlander really opened the door to other things with other studios, distributors, broadcasters and producers. They have seen what we have done with Outlander.
“But they also do a lot more with destinations and tourism boards now. Screen tourism was around before, but it wasn’t so visible. There are so many more platforms now. There are huge opportunities for partnerships and promotions. Destinations have the contacts and the knowledge.
“Screen tourism has really taken off over the last few years. It seems like there is a real boom at the moment and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.”
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