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Outlander Effect to support tourism recovery

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As hit TV series Outlander returns, national tourism body, VisitScotland, has published new research on the Outlander Effect during the pandemic.

Droughtlander – the nickname for the period between Outlander seasons – ends on Sunday (6 March) with the premiere of Season Six on Starz.

The TV series, based on the books by Diana Gabaldon, is primarily filmed in Scotland (a filming locations map is available on visitscotland.com) and has been a boon to screen tourism in the country since its first broadcast in 2014, particularly from US and Canadian visitors.

VisitScotland hopes interest in the latest season, combined with the return of international travel, will help support Scotland’s tourism recovery.

New figures published by the national tourism organisation, 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. 

Visitor numbers at Outlander-related attractions peaked at 3.2 million in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There was a 64% drop in total visits to all attractions in Scotland between 2019 and 2020, as monitored by the Moffat Centre. 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. A short clip of its Scotland is Calling global marketing video will be 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, USA, and Canada. visitscotland.com has incorporated Outlander content since 2014 with spikes in interest with each new season.

Jenni Steele, Film and Creative Industries Manager at VisitScotland, said:“Despite the devastation to the tourism industry caused by the pandemic, it’s been really encouraging that fans have continued to be drawn to Scotland and our many historic and cultural attractions.“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.

US author of the Outlander book series, Diana 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.

For more on the Outlander Effect go to: https://www.visitscotland.org/research-insights/about-our-visitors/interests-activities/film-tv

Outlander content can be found here: visitscotland.com/outlander

Most popular Outlander-related attractions in 2020:

  • Beecraigs Country Park
  • Muiravonside Country Park
  • Culloden Visitor Centre
  • Glencoe Visitor Centre
  • Glasgow Cathedral
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Outlander Effect to support tourism recovery

Research reveals Outlander-related attraction visits during pandemic

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Word count 550 words

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Licence Editorial A Licence to use assets for editorial purposes, which is, to illustrate an event or story in an article but not commercially such as marketing a product or print ad. An Editorial asset may show a brand, a trademarked logo or product, a public personality, or recognisable people, without a signed release or with limited releases. When you use VisitScotland Editorial content you do so to illustrate Scottish tourism in a positive way.
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Usage Editorial content can be published in a variety of formats ranging from print or digital to online. In print content can be featured in *newspapers *magazines *brochures. Online content can be published in a *blog *website *article or *social media. Regardless of the format this content should always promote Scotland’s tourism in a positive way.

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