Insight Department: Wildlife Tourism - VisitScotland · INSIGHT DEPARTMENT: WILDLIFE TOURISM As with most visitor attractions, domestic overnight visits to wildlife attractions peak

June 2017

Insight Department:Wildlife Tourism

Welcome

INSIGHT DEPARTMENT: WILDLIFE TOURISM

ATTRACTION VISITS (000S)

NIGHTS (000S)

SPEND (£M)

NIGHTS PER TRIP

SPEND PER TRIP

(£)

SPEND PER

NIGHT (£)

Visiting a wildlife attraction\ nature reserve 401 2378 177 5.9 441 74

Watching wildlife, bird watching 494 2735 187 5.5 379 68

Visiting a zoo\safari park 348 1453 127 4.2 365 87

Scotland has a wide variety of wildlife, both in the animals’ natural habitat as well as in zoos or safari parks. With Edinburgh Zoo being the only zoo in the whole of the United Kingdom to house pandas and with it being estimated that 80% of the UK’s red squirrel population is contained within Scotland, the country boasts a not only a wide variety of wildlife but also some unique animal attributes. Wildlife tourism is popular is Scotland with 401,000 domestic visits including visiting a wildlife attraction/nature reserve when in Scotland, 494,000 domestic visits including bird or wildlife watching and 348,000 domestic visits including a trip to a zoo or safari park.

Of the three types of wildlife tourism listed above, visitors who visit a wildlife attraction/nature reserve stay on average the longest time in Scotland (5.9 nights), whilst those who visit a zoo or safari park stay on average the least amount of time (4.2 nights). This could be due in part to the city location of Edinburgh Zoo which is Scotland’s most visited animal attraction and, as we see on the next page, those who participate in visiting zoos/safari parks whilst in Edinburgh stay on average 2.8 nights. The highest spend per night is generated unsurprisingly by those who visit a zoo or safari park, due to the tariff involved in visiting a zoo compared to the likes of bird watching which can be done for free at many countryside locations.

Source: GBTS, 2015 (Activities undertaken/attractions visited as part of a trip)

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Regional Breakdown


ATTRACTION SCOTLAND - NORTH

SCOTLAND - SOUTH

SCOTLAND - EAST

SCOTLAND - WEST EDINBURGH GLASGOW

VISITS (000S)

Visiting a wildlife attraction\ nature reserve 216 49 114 97 38 26

Watching wildlife, bird watching 208 66 125 146 26 4

Visiting a zoo\safari park 50 22 248 64 193 -

NIGHTS (000S)




SPEND (£M)




NIGHTS PER TRIP

Visiting a wildlife attraction\ nature reserve 5.9 3.9 5.3 3.1 3.9 2.2

Watching wildlife, bird watching 5.4 3.8 4.9 5.1 2.7 5.0

Visiting a zoo\safari park 8.1 3.5 3.0 3.7 2.8 -

SPEND PER TRIP (£)




SPEND PER NIGHT (£)





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The distribution of domestic visitors around Scotland for wildlife and animal related activities unsurprisingly mirrors the availability of activities in different areas. The East boast the highest number of visitors to zoos and safari parks with 78% of those visits taking place in Edinburgh. The West and North of Scotland are popular for watching

wildlife/birds and the North and East of Scotland are popular with those who visit wildlife attractions/nature reserves. The longest amount of time spent by visitors in Scotland by location and activity are those who visit a zoo/safari park and visit the North of Scotland (8.1 nights on average).


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Quarterly Breakdown


As with most visitor attractions, domestic overnight visits to wildlife attractions peak in the middle quarters and subside in the winter months. Distribution of the number of nights stayed follows a similar pattern although the duration of a trip is almost twice as long in Q3 than it is in Q1.

Whilst total revenue from wildlife-related trips is highest in Q2 and Q3, amount spent per night is highest in Q4, where visitors spend on average £106 per night. Visitors in Q2 spend the least per night at £66.


Q4

Q3

Q2

Q116%

9%10%

33%37%

33%

40%46%46%

11%8%

11%

QUARTERLY BREAKDOWN OF TRIPS/NIGHTS/SPEND FOR WILDLIFE ACTIVITIES

Trips (000s) Nights (000s) Spend (£m)

ALL WILDLIFE ATTRACTIONS

TRIPS (000S)

NIGHTS (000S) SPEND (£M) NIGHTS

PER TRIPSPEND PER

TRIP (£)SPEND PER NIGHT (£)

Q1 167 503 39 3.0 234 78

Q2 343 1951 129 5.7 376 66

Q3 419 2459 181 5.9 432 74

Q4 114 426 45 3.7 395 106


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Source: GBDVS, 2015


Wildlife related activities are popular among day trip visitors to Scotland with two million visits in 2015 including watching wildlife/bird watching. Both visiting a zoo/safari park or a wildlife attraction/nature reserve were popular activities for day trippers with each attraction generating one million visits.

Day trips that included going to a zoo/safari park on average generated the highest spend per trip (£54) but overall those who included watching wildlife/bird watching on their day trip generated the largest collective spend at £59 million.

ATTRACTION TRIPS (000s) SPEND (£m) SPEND PER TRIP (£)

Visiting a wildlife attraction\ nature reserve 2000 59 29.5

Watching wildlife, bird watching 1000 54 54

Visiting a zoo\safari park 1000 26 26

Day Visitors FACT: 62% of day visitors

who participated in wildlife activities main form of transport used

was a car; either their own/friends or family

Source: GBDVS, 2015

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VisitorDemographics


Results from the VisitScotland 2015 Visitor Survey indicate that the age groups most likely to go bird watching or watch wildlife are those aged 65 and above. 34% of 65-74 year olds surveyed participated in bird watching/watching wildlife as did 42% of those surveyed who were aged over 75. Watching birds and wildlife was also popular with those aged 45-54, with 29% participating in this activity when in Scotland. Under one fifth of those between 16 and 34 participated in watching birds/wildlife.

Consistent with the propensity for different age groups to participate in watching birds/wildlife, are the propensity of various employment groups to participate in this activity. 36% of those sampled who were retired participated in watching birds/wildlife. This activity was least popular with those who were unemployed, with only 8% of those surveyed who were unemployed saying they participated in bird watching/watching wildlife when in Scotland.

Source: VisitScotland Visitor Survey , 2015 Base Sample Size: 396

16-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-65

65 - 74

75+ 42%

34%

25%

29%

23%

17%

16%

PROPENSITY FOR DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS TO GO BIRD WATCHING/WATCH WILDLIFE

PROPENSITY TO WATCH BIRDS/WILDLIFE

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Working full-time

Working part-time

Unemployed

Full-time student

Retired

Not working 12%

36%

14%

8%

24%

22%

PROPENSITY FOR DIFFERENT EMPLOYMENT GROUPS TO GO BIRD WATCHING/WATCH WILDLIFE



Other

Rest of World

Europe

Rest of UK

Scotland 29%

27%

19%

14%

15%

PROPENSITY FOR DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES TO GO BIRD WATCHING/WATCH WILDLIFE


Scottish residents, who were taking a break in Scotland, had the highest propensity to participate in watching birds/wildlife when in Scotland with 29% of Scottish visitors indicating they had participated in this activity. The propensity of the rest of the UK

was similar, with 27% saying they watched birds/wildlife when in Scotland. Visitors from outwith the UK were less likely to participate in this activity when in Scotland.

FACT: 85% of visits to wildlife attractions are paid visits*Source; Moffat Centre Visitor Attraction Monitor, 2015

*only includes attractions which take part in the Visitor Attraction Monitor

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ACCOMMODATION

PROPORTION OF VISITS SPENT

IN DIFFERENT ACCOMMODATIONS

(%)

PROPORTION OF NIGHTS SPENT IN DIFFERENT

ACCOMMODATIONS (%)

PROPORTION OF EXPENDITURE

SPENT IN DIFFERENT ACCOMMODATIONS

(%)

NIGHTS PER

TRIPS

SPEND PER

NIGHT (£)

Hotel/Motel 33% 19% 29% 3 115

Self-catering - House/chalet/villa/bungalow/cottage

19% 24% 21% 6.7 65

Friend's /relatives home 14% 10% 5% 3.7 36

Camping 7% 9% 3% 7 26

Caravan - Towed 6% 10% 6% 8 46

Paying guest in - Other private house /B&B

6% 5% 5% 4.1 75

Guest house 5% 3% 3% 3.6 57


Visitors to wildlife activities predominantly stay in hotels/motels (33%) or self-catering properties (19%). Those who stay in hotels spend the most per night (£115) but stay the shortest time out of the other popular forms of accommodation, three nights on average. Those who camp or stay in a towed caravan stay on average the longest at seven and eight nights respectively. Campers spend the least at £26 per night. Proportionally, more overnight visits to hotels and motels are taken by those who visit zoos/safari parks

which is indicative of the city location of zoos and the volume of hotels offered in central locations. This could help explain the spend per night disparity between hotel/motel and other forms of accommodation. Those who participate in watching wildlife/bird watching make up the largest volume of visitors who camp or stay in caravans when in Scotland. The most popular choice of accommodation for those who visited a nature reserve or wildlife attraction is self-catering accommodation.

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ZOOS/WILDLIFE CENTRES 2015 2016 % CHANGE

Edinburgh Zoo 633,351 574,175 -9%

Five Sisters Zoo 123,274 180,046 46%

Heads of Ayr Farm Park 161,750 160,711 -1%

Highland Wildlife Centre 124,259 136,721 10%

Almond Valley Hertiage Centre 136,000 135,721 0%

Camperdown Wildlife Centre 86,891 93,615 8%

Mabie Farm Park 75,900 76,500 1%

Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre 53,210 63,810 20%

Wildlife Attractions

Source: Moffat Centre Visitor Attractions Monitor, 2015-2016

NATURE/ANIMAL RESERVES 2015 2016 % CHANGE

Scottish Seabird Centre 262,996 268,096 2%

Scottish Dolphin Centre 91,561 95,058 4%

Falls of Clyde Wildlife Reserve 70,808 77,874 10%

RSPB Loch Leven 62,071 59,553 -4%

RSPB Lochwinnoch Nature Reserve 27,385 29,824 9%

Loch Garten Osprey Centre 23,155 26,615 15%

Loch of the Lowes 20,447 21,621 6%

Scottish Owl Centre 16,040 15,091 -6%

Balranald Nature Reserve 12,500 14,700 18%

Montrose Basin Wildlife Centre 11,209 12,586 12%

Loch of Kinnordy RSPB Reserve 8,055 8,540 6%

RSPB Forsinard Reserve 4,969 6,029 21%

Noss National Nature Reserve 1,457 1,935 33%

Source: Moffat Centre Visitor Attractions Monitor, 2015-2016

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Edinburgh Zoo is Scotland’s most popular wildlife attraction with 574,175 visits made to the attraction by both domestic and international visitors in 2016. The Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick was the second most popular wildlife attraction in 2016, with 268,096 visits being made to the centre, a 2% increase on 2015.

High increases in visitor numbers were experienced by the Five Sisters Zoo which saw a 46% growth between 2015 and 2016 and Balranald Nature Reserve which saw a growth of 18% over the same period.

Overall visits to wildlife/animal attractions increased in 2016 by 4%, from 2,321,823 visitors in 2015 to 2,413,397 in 2016.

In 2015 the average revenue generated per admission to a wildlife/animal attraction was £4.49. On-site discretionary spending generated £2.60 through catering and £4.25 in retail opportunities per visit making the average visit to a animal/wildlife attraction worth £11.34.


FACT: 67% of those who visit wildlife related

attractions are adults*Source: Moffat Centre Visitor Attraction Monitor, 2015

*only includes attractions which take part in the Visitor Attraction Monitor

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WEBPAGE ON VISITSCOTLAND.COM 2016 VIEWS

Wildlife Home Page 53,619

Wildlife Attractions Home Page 27,443

Birdwatching 7,040

Website Analysis

Source: VisitScotland Google Analytics 1/1/2016-31/12/2016

WEBPAGE ON VISITSCOTLAND.COM 2016 VIEWS

Highland Wildlife Park 8,212

Scottish Seabird Centre 6,188

RSPB Loch Garten 5,770

Five Sisters Zoo 5,480

Edinburgh Zoo 5,457

Scottish Dolphin Centre 2,051

Heads of Ayr Farm Park 1,786

Scottish Owl Centre 506

Source: VisitScotland Google Analytics 1/1/2016-31/12/2016

Over 53,000 visits were made to the wildlife page on VisitScotland’s website in 2016, which averages at 147 visits daily, showing its popularity amongst visitors to Scotland. Individual attractions pages were less popular

on visitscotland.com than pages that provided general information because most attractions have their own website.

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VisitScotland’s 2017 Tourism Trends highlight the growing hunt for sustainability among consumers. Businesses with green credentials, which many wildlife attractions are accredited with, should advertise and promote this side of their business.

Previous to the 2017 trends and a 2016 trend that we believe is still relevant is that of ‘Emotiveography’, which is the capturing a moment of feeling via picture in order to post it on the internet in what is known as ‘internet boasting’. The pull of photography has been powerful over the past few years and has an influence on where people choose to visit. Wildlife attractions have many opportunities for visitors to take photos and this is an

aspect of the visitor attraction that should be promoted. For accommodation and other service providers, knowing what wildlife is in your area and where may be the best locations to spot and photograph it could help attract more wildlife tourists.

Fluid itinerary travel in the form of road trips has been identified as a trend for 2017. Wildlife businesses could capitalise on this trend by promoting something similar to Scotland’s Castle Trail, where visitors visit Aberdeenshire’s prominent castles. Organisations like the RSPB could group geographically similar parks into a trail encouraging visitors to go to more than just one location.

Business Consideration

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CONTACT US

Insight DepartmentVisitScotlandOcean Point One94 Ocean DriveEdinburgh EH6 6JH

0131 472 [email protected] 2017

visitscotland.com visitscotland.org

Disclaimer: VisitScotland has published this report in good faith to update stakeholders on its activity. VisitScotland has taken all reasonable steps to confirm the information contained in the publication is correct. However, VisitScotland does not warrant or assume any legal liability for the accuracy of any information disclosed and accepts no responsibility for any error or omissions. Images © VisitScotland

APPENDIX

Great Britain Tourism Survey Great Britain Day Visits Survey Google Analytics Moffat Centre, Visitor Attraction BarometerVisitScotland Visitor Survey

Our partners, VisitBritain have carried out analysis of International Passenger Survey data on the activities undertaken by international visitors to the UK. The report published in 2013, includes a section on outdoors and sport activities undertaken in Scotland.

https://www.visitbritain.org/sites/default/files/vb-corporate/ Documents-Library/documents/Regional_Activities_report_FINAL_ COMPRESSED.pdf