The results from wave two of our monthly monitor of how the Scottish population feel about tourism and leisure during the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 lockdown began on 23rd March in Scotland. Now, some ten weeks on, and it is only in the last ten days that some of the lockdown restrictions have begun to be eased. From 29th May, family gatherings have become possible within the rules of social distancing, and amongst other things, some limited outdoor sports and recreation has become possible again. That said, the message remains clear – stay at home as much as you can. For many, holidays and breaks must still seem a long way off.

But as we stay at home, many of us are thinking about the types of holidays and leisure trips we might want to make as soon as we are able.

As a result, in early May, 56 Degree Insight launched a new survey designed to monitor the tourism and leisure desires and concerns of the Scottish population – The Scottish Tourism Index. Where will they want to go first when conditions allow, and what will they take into account when planning that trip? The first wave of research was undertaken in the first week of May and can be accessed here.

We have now gone back out to ask Scots how they feel about holidays and tourism some 4 weeks’ on – with 503 interviews undertaken between 1st and 4th June. The timing is important as it immediately followed that first significant easing of lockdown as we entered Phase 1 in the Scottish Government’s route map and just before the imposition of a 14-day quarantine requirement when arriving in Scotland from overseas (an important consideration for Scots planning any overseas travel). Has this resulted in any changes in attitudes and feelings towards travel and holidays? The results are reported here – a range of new questions have been included as well as repeats of questions asked 4 weeks previously to identify any emerging trends or changes in attitudes.

The results are presented below, and from Wave 2, some key findings have emerged:

Some major impacts of COVID-19 on how Scots feel about travel generally are continuing to emerge and evolve:

A third of Scots claim to have been significantly impacted financially by lockdown and this forms important context for their potential holiday choices and considerations. Also underpinning their views is an increasing concern about how they will travel around (83%): transport considerations will have a major impact on the types of trips they might consider – and where they will go. 4 in 10 Scots will not set foot in a plane for the foreseeable future and a further 27% will try to avoid unless they have no other options. This illustrates the difficulties the air industry will have in its road to recovery. Although there is also a large proportion
of Scots who will not take public transport such as trains or buses in the near future (27%) and a further 36% will only do so if they have no other option, just under 4 in 10 would consider these modes of travel. This perhaps reflects the reality that many will be likely to travel by these means in everyday life at some point in the near future meaning that it will become less of a barrier for holidays. However the biggest barriers undoubtedly face the cruise industry. Over 7 in 10 Scots will avoid this type of holiday completely for the foreseeable future and a further 14% would only do so if no other options are available.
The prospect of travelling overseas has very limited appeal for most Scots at this stage – with the new 14-day self-quarantine introduction a major barrier: 7 in 10 Scots would completely shun foreign travel to avoid a 14-day quarantine on their return– and a further 20% would have major concerns and would be unlikely to put themselves in that situation. These prospects of quarantine are dampening desires to travel abroad generally: 63% would be very likely to avoid travelling to continental Europe, and an even larger proportion (75%) would be likely to reject long haul travel. But this could paradoxically provide some opportunities for the domestic tourism industry as it is encouraging even more Scots to focus on home holidays rather than trips overseas.
The health and safety impacts of COVID-19 will also play a role in shaping the nature of holiday choices in the months ahead. In particular, cleanliness and hygiene: 8 in every 10 Scots would avoid visiting places where no guarantees or assurances on hygiene were available. Also important will be choosing locations and destinations where social distancing can be achieved and where busy places can be avoided.

With increasing concerns about travelling, Scotland’s appeal to Scots has held up over the last month whereas there is clear diminished appeal to go to other parts of Britain or overseas:

Day trips have highest appeal followed by Scottish breaks and holidays. This reflects the findings 4 weeks ago which highlighted an initial desire to not stray too far from the safety of home. But again, there will be differential benefits to the Scottish tourism industry, with the countryside continuing to hold greatest appeal, followed by the seaside and then towns and cities: the appeal of this latter category has decreased in June compared to May.
Whilst the appeal of Scotland for holidays has held quite firm, there have been drops in interest to go south of the border or travel overseas. As discussed above, the threats of quarantine will have played a role in dampening any enthusiasm to travel overseas, whilst larger drops in the appeal of seaside holidays elsewhere in Britain will have been fuelled by the many scenes of crowded English beaches in the media during May.
There does however appear to be a move amongst the over 55s to be less likely to consider holidays to any destination in the near future – most of the potential for Scotland – in early June – appears to lie with younger Scots without children and the family market.

In general however, there are a number of very positive messages coming from Scots about what a Scottish holiday or break may look like in 2020 which will provide a lot of heartening news for Scottish tourism:

Recognising that a traditional ‘summer holiday’ may not be possible in Scotland in 2020, there is a willingness to consider taking
Scottish holidays and breaks later in the year – three quarters would consider an autumn/winter break whilst only 30% would only consider a summer holiday. Over four in five are willing to go ‘off the beaten track’ to avoid tourist hotspots (82%).
Encouragingly, over two thirds are keen to show their support for Scottish tourism businesses by taking a holiday in Scotland as soon as is feasible. And even more encouraging, 96% of Scots claim they would be extremely respectful of local host communities’ concerns around health and wellbeing when visiting these areas.
But there is clear evidence of the need for some form of accreditation to reassure them that the tourism facilities had been checked and endorsed as safe and following best hygiene practices.
More specifically, when it comes to planning a Scottish holiday, some key elements are critical to Scots:
- Most important is to know with certainty that the places visited, particularly accommodation, were definitely going to meet high cleaning and hygiene standards.
- In general feeling safe, away from crowds and being able to travel safely and away from strangers were also important.
- Also, with much of the population suffering financially, the price of a holiday was of most importance to many.

We discovered in the early May research that we are likely to return to a new world of attitudes and choices when it comes to holidays in Scotland. This evidence continues from the June wave of research:

Destinations to visit: the desire to visit rural areas over town and cities continues to come through when specific places in Scotland are mentioned. If anything, the views are rather more nuanced than in May, with more mentions of specific locations. Despite that, the Highlands remains the most mentioned area – 54% want to visit, but all other rural areas have shown slight increases over May.
Accommodation: there is a continued desire to choose self-catering accommodation over serviced accommodation. If anything, views have further solidified in June – with a greater switch to self-catering from serviced options.
Things to do: as in May, there is clear evidence of an increasing desire for the outdoors and little desire to visit indoor attractions or events – the polarisation of this opinion is even greater in June than it was in May.
Eating and Drinking: as in May, there is little ‘appetite’ for eating or drinking out on holiday – indeed the proportions likely to consider this have decreased from May with a greater desire for takeaways but especially buying and cooking your own meals – the tourist industry will need to find creative solutions to address these concerns.
Transport choices: changes in considerations around transport choices both to and during their Scottish holiday suggest there will be a move away from public services such as trains, buses and ferries to greater use of private means of transport: Half of Scots are now more likely to use their own car than before to get to and during their Scottish holiday. Of major concern is the coach
tour market. 57% are less likely to take a coach tour – most likely driven down by empty nesters who are the core market but less likely to be considering holidays at all.