The latest annual tourism trend report for Dumfries and Galloway shows an encouraging increase in visitor numbers and tourism spend.
The figures show an economic impact of £302.6 million from visitor spend in Dumfries and Galloway, the first time the region has achieved over £300 million.
Visitor numbers for the region rose by 1.8% in 2014 to 2,429,000 while tourists spent 4.2% more over the period. Due to the significant impact from Gretna and Gretna Green, separate figures show an impressive 4% increase in visitors and 8.7% increase in visitor spend.
Employment in the tourism sector of the region has also shown modest increase of 0.5% with an additional 35 direct and indirect jobs created during the year.
The figures are released by Global Tourism Solutions who produce the Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM) report on behalf of Dumfries and Galloway Council.
Councillor Colin Smyth, chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Economy, Environment and Infrastructure committee said:
“Tourism is a key sector to the economy of Dumfries and Galloway and this report shows encouraging signs that the industry is continuing to grow in the region, despite there still being a challenging economic climate. Our Council is committed to supporting the local economy and by working together, the region’s tourism businesses can capitalise on our fantastic assets and encourage more visitors to experience what Dumfries and Galloway has to offer.”
(Main Photo , Threave castle , Castle Douglas , Has had a large increase in visitors in the past 12 months)
