Edinburgh Castle retains crown as top tourist attraction

The number of people visiting the landmark soared by 217.6% to 1,356,168 in 2022.

Overall, Scotland's visitor attractions enjoyed a 53.5% surge in visitor numbers last year as Covid restrictions eased.

Previous procedures to manage visitor numbers, including pre-booking tickets and advised direction of travel, were removed by many venues as restrictions eased.

Attractions across the country recorded 48,675,631 visits, up 16,961,432 on 2021.

However, figures from the Moffat Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University and the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) show that, despite the surge, overall numbers are 16% down on the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.

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Tourism experts described the results as "patchy" and there are real concerns over the impact of cost-of-living rises.

The National Museum of Scotland remains the number one free attraction with numbers increasing 198.7% to 1,973,751.

Paid entry attractions saw 15,053,896 visitors across Scotland in 2022, up 63.2% on the previous year.

Free venues had 33,621,735 visitors last year compared to 22,490,582 in 2021 - an increase of 49.5%.

Edinburgh Castle's success was replicated by Stirling Castle, up 181.4% to 418,180, and Urquhart Castle up 233.6% to 357,154.

Meanwhile, the numbers visiting Newhailes House and Gardens, in Musselburgh, increased 316.6% to 272,737.

Visitor numbers to Greyfriars Kirkyard, the second most popular free attraction after the National Museum of Scotland, tripled from 487,445 to 1,967,871.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum and the Riverside Museum, in Glasgow, posted strong years, up 237% and 275% respectively. The Burrell Collection, which reopened last year after a £66 million revamp, recorded 482,984 visits.

In the Scottish Highlands overall, 73 attractions are up 53.8% - roughly 1.3million extra visitors with paid attractions doing particularly well.

They included Loch of the Lowes nature reserve, near Dunkeld, where numbers rose from 8,152 to 12,481.

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Cherry Bowen, Visitor Centre Assistant, said: "The 2022 season at Loch of the Lowes kicked off well with the earliest ever recorded arrival of our breeding ospreys.

"Lowes has a wide variety of wildlife all year round, from red squirrels to beavers, great spotted woodpecker to nuthatch, but between March and August, many visitors come specifically to view and photograph the ospreys.

Lowes' wildlife reserve is not on a public transport route, with most visitors arriving by private car or walking 30-40 mins from Dunkeld.

"The cost of living crisis and high fuel prices became evident through people commenting they were restricting their visits.

"This also applied to our volunteers, those who came from further away cut their shifts to twice monthly, rather than every week.

"All in all, released from previous years' covid restrictions, we were pleased to find our visitor numbers growing towards 'normal'."

Professor John Lennon, Director of the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: “This survey evidences a recovering visitor attraction market dominated by domestic demand.

“Scottish visitor attractions face a very daunting trading environment characterised by cost inflation and labour shortages - problems that have been slow to abate.

"Recovery is likely to continue but will remain highly dependent upon UK customers for the medium term.”

Gordon Morrison, Chief Executive of ASVA, said: ‘‘Whilst it is encouraging to see somewhat of a recovery for the attractions sector, performance in 2022 was quite patchy.

“Not all operators enjoyed a successful year, and with visitor numbers still considerably down on pre-pandemic levels, there is a long way to go before we can talk of a full sector-wide recovery.

"Concerns about what the ongoing cost-of-living crisis will mean for visitation and spend remain for many.”

ASVA is calling on the UK and Scottish Governments to take further action to support the industry in the face of rising costs and to revisit any policy decisions that may increase the financial burden on business.

Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland, which saw numbers increase 321% to 1,277,230, added: "We’re delighted that the National was the third most visited free attraction in the whole of Scotland. 

"Home to an extraordinary collection, including works by internationally renowned artists and some of the very best Scottish painters, the National continues to be a highlight for local, national, and international audiences alike."

Scotland's Top Ten Tourist Attractions

Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland, which saw numbers increase 321% to 1,277,230, added: "We’re delighted that the National was the third most visited free attraction in the whole of Scotland. 

"Home to an extraordinary collection, including works by internationally renowned artists and some of the very best Scottish painters, the National continues to be a highlight for local, national, and international audiences alike."