2009 – Excellent year for wildlife tourism in Scotland

RSPB Balranald, one of the finest reserves on the Hebrides.

Wildlife tourism in Scotland: surviving and thriving

November 2009. Wildlife tourism professionals are meeting for Wild Scotland's Annual Conference near Perth. This year, the conference will reflect on issues facing the sector. Many companies started this season with some trepidation owing to the state of the economy, however feedback from Wild Scotland members about their season shows that 2009 has been an excellent year for wildlife tourism.

61% members had improved year
Annual figures show that 61% of Wild Scotland members had a better year than 2008. This is the highest percentage since the survey began in 2006 and shows the continuing success of wildlife tourism in Scotland.

Staycation & European visitors
Almost sixty percent (59%) felt that they had benefitted from the much-heralded ‘staycation' with British people choosing to holiday in the UK. A significant number also commented on a marked increase in European visitors this year. This may be due to the weak pound and presents an opportunity to showcase Scotland's wildlife to an international audience.

Wildcat
As awareness of wildlife watching in Scotland appears to be growing (Click here to see Wildlife Extra's guide to Scottish Wildlife watching), the conference will also focus on a species which is currently struggling to get noticed, the Scottish wildcat. Wild Scotland is supporting the Highland Tiger campaign which aims to raise the profile of this iconic species and our only native feline.

Issues
Caroline Warburton of Wild Scotland commented: "Wildlife tourism in Scotland has had another great season which is excellent news for everyone. Businesses have worked hard this year but their work has paid off and the results of the survey hopefully show that wildlife tourism in Scotland is here to stay. As well as the positives, the survey also highlights the growing number of issues which businesses are facing, such as rising costs and threats to wildlife populations on which they depend. By making more people aware of the wildlife in Scotland, we hope that we can involve more people in the debate about how best to manage it".