“Outlander” is back and, aside from fans of the popular TV show, no one is more relieved than Scotland’s tourism industry, which welcomed a staggering 3.2 million visitors to Outlander-related attractions in 2019, before succumbing to a pandemic-related absence of the show, dubbed “Droughtlander.”
Based on the books by Diana Gabaldon, the TV series was originally set in Scotland and is primarily filmed there, creating a host of sites that both casual and more serious fans can visit.
VisitScotland says the show “has been a boon to screen tourism in the country since its first broadcast in 2014, particularly from US and Canadian visitors,” and has even created a touring map of filming locations, available on its website.
Now the tourist board says it hopes interest in the new season, combined with the return of international travel, will help support Scotland’s tourism recovery after the pandemic.
Indeed, new figures published by the national tourism organization, compiled by the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business Development, show that despite restrictions and temporary closures during 2020, Outlander-related attractions (historic, cultural, and filming locations) saw more than 1.7 million visitors.
The report shows that there was a 64% drop in total visits to all attractions in Scotland between 2019 and 2020, though Outlander-related attractions fared better, falling by 45% over the same period.
Attraction figures for 2021 have yet to be released.
VisitScotland is sponsoring the airing of Outlander on the W Network in Canada and a short clip of its “Scotland is Calling” global marketing video is being screened directly before and after each episode. The sponsorship deal is expected to reach 5.6 million viewers.
New data from VisitScotland’s consumer website, visitscotland.com, shows that Outlander-related content generated 352,000 pageviews in 2021 and was the most popular film/TV content on the website (56% of visits), followed by Harry Potter (18%) and James Bond (16%).
VisitScotland’s main Outlander page ranked first in searches during 2021 for queries related to filming locations and tours or itineraries with just over a half of all visits originating from the UK, US, and Canada. The web site has incorporated Outlander content since 2014 with spikes in interest with each new season.
The most popular Outlander-related attractions are:
• Beecraigs Country Park
• Muiravonside Country Park
• Culloden Visitor Centre
• Glencoe Visitor Centre
• Glasgow Cathedral
“Outlander has had a huge impact on Scottish tourism for many years, especially by visitors from the US and Canada,” says VisitScotland Film and Creative Industries Manager Jenni Steele. “With season six on our screens and international travel routes returning, we hope this inspires UK, US and Canadian viewers to plan a trip to the home of Outlander.”
Outlander follows the adventures of World War II time-travelling nurse Claire Randall and her relationship with 18th century Highlander Jamie Fraser. Its American author, Gabaldon, was honoured with a special Scottish Thistle Award in 2019 from VisitScotland for ‘International Contribution to Scottish Tourism’ due to the phenomenal impact of her books and subsequent TV series.
VisitScotland Outlander content can be found HERE.