Understanding our visitors 

Visitor surveys provide crucial information 

Haste ye back – that familiar Scots phrase encouraging visitors to return soon – is resonating with visitors to Moray Speyside, it would seem.

Our Scotland Visitor Survey, which was conducted last year and explores visitor motivations, plans, and experiences, found that more than nine in 10 visitors to the region (91%) were returning visitors to Scotland.

Couple that with almost nine in ten visitors (86%) rating their experience 8 or above (out of 10), with similar results for those recommending the region as a holiday or short break destination, and it is an amazing endorsement of the sector.

Delve deeper and we see that almost nine in 10 visitors to Moray Speyside (84%) are from the UK, with the majority coming from outside of Scotland. This is an encouraging sign for the region, given the ongoing cost-of-living challenges continue to impact the domestic market on spend, travel and nights away.

The stunning Moray coastline is one of its strongest assets and in line with Scotland-wide survey results, scenery and landscape (77%), was the top motivation for choosing Scotland amongst the Moray Speyside sample. This was followed by the outdoor activities available (44%), higher than the Scotland-wide sample of 27%.

Moray Speyside boasts a number of coastal campsites and accommodation options and more than eight in ten (82%) of visitors to Moray Speyside stayed in non-serviced accommodation, with camping, caravanning and motorhomes (36%) being the most popular choice.    

The region is a popular destination for visitors to explore the landscape, natural environment and wildlife. Visitors rated the wealth of activities on offer in the region and watching wildlife and bird watching (guided or self-guided) came out as the most popular activity (38%), followed by a hill walk, mountaineering, a hike or ramble (guided or self-guided) (36%) and visiting a castle or fort (33%).

We are keen to engage the Moray Speyside tourism industry with the growing overseas market, as 16% of all visitors to the region were international. Being travel trade ready is an important way to do this, and this is why we work with the likes of Visit Moray Speyside and industry groups to support travel trade product training for businesses and exploring product development. It means being able to work with international travel intermediaries – such as tour operators and travel advisors – who help create packages for prospective holidaymakers.

Our flagship travel trade event, VisitScotland Connect, gives tourism businesses that chance and this year, it was attended by a number from Moray Speyside. The event saw international buyers go on ‘luxury and active’ journeys through the region, sampling some of our attractions, accommodation and food and drink.

VisitScotland's core purpose is to drive the visitor economy and grow the value of tourism to help create jobs and support communities across Moray Speyside. Our marketing activity takes inspiration from trends and consumer insights, creating engaging and inspiring content for social media, media, and our digital channels.

In the past 12 months our posts on social media focused on Moray Speyside have reached over 4.8 million, with more than 426,000 engagements, whether it be likes, comments or shares. The region has also featured in several global marketing campaigns over the last year, including Expedia and Skyscanner.

We’ll use the Scotland Visitor Survey insights as part of our collaboration with our industry partners, to develop the visitor proposition in the region. We hope businesses will also take advantage of this knowledge, for their own marketing.   

By working with industry and public sector partners we are helping manage and develop tourism in a way that creates benefit for people, businesses and the environment in Moray Speyside, while providing a great experience for our visitors.