How to target and reach the UK market

6 minute read• Last updated: 24 June 2025

Although the majority of visitors to Scotland are from Great Britain and Northern Ireland there is potential for growth. These customers are more likely to travel in the quieter seasons and visit lesser-known areas of Scotland.

Check out our top tips on how to market your business to attract more domestic visitors. Take time to understand who the domestic market are and why they choose Scotland.

Catch up on our recent webinar on domestic tourism

JavaScript needs to be enabled to watch this video. You can turn this on in your browser settings.

The importance and challenge of the domestic market

Learn about our domestic visitors and what motivates them, and discover the future prospects for domestic tourism.

Who are Scotland’s domestic market visitors?

Rannoch Moor

Almost 40% are families - aged 16 to 64 with children in household
Over 30% are younger independents - aged 16 to 34
20% are older independents aged - 35 to 64
Under 10% are retirement age - aged 65 and above

What value could they bring to my business?

10.6 million overnight trips
Total number of overnight trips by GB visitors to Scotland
29.5 million nights
Total number of nights in Scotland by GB residents
£3.3 billion
Total overnight spend by GB residents in Scotland
2.8 nights
Average nights per visit by GB residents in Scotland

Source: Great Britain Tourism Survey 2024.

How can you capture their attention?

If you understand what domestic visitors are looking for and when, you can tailor your marketing to better catch their eye and fulfil their needs.

Motivations for their trip
UK residents start planning a trip because they want to:
- take a break and get away from it all
- connect with nature and the outdoors
- spend quality time
- try something new
What does Scotland offer?
- landscapes, nature, history and culture
- proximity – it’s close to home
- a visit to friends and family
- attractions and activities
- food and drink experiences
- events and festivals
When they plan and book
Those most likely to plan and book at shorter notice:
- will take shorter stays
- may travel alone
- are more likely to come from Scotland
Those likely to take more time to plan and book:
- will take longer stays
- will travel as families and groups of 5+ people
- are more likely to come from the rest of UK
Find out more on visitors from the UK.

Where can you find the domestic market?

Some visitors to Scotland book directly with a business, on their website or through their social media channels. But some visitors book through a travel distribution partner, such as an online travel agent (OTA), or tour operator.

To reach them, you should consider making your business available to book directly and through a travel distribution partner.

Booking direct
Most likely to book direct:
- repeat visitors
- Scottish residents
- families
- couples
By sector:
- 64% booked their accommodation directly
- 29% booked an experience (eg visitor attraction) in advance
- 9 in 10 of those booking and experience in advance did so directly
Booking through partners
When planning:
- almost 50% of UK visitors used an accommodation provider website to plan their trip
- around 25% used the VisitScotland.com website when planning
Most likely to book through a partner:
- first-time visitors
- rest of UK visitors
- younger independents (age 16 to 34 without children)
By sector:
- 35% booked their accommodation through a partner such as an OTA or online marketplace
- 29% booked an experience in advance
- 1 in 10 of those booking an experience in advance did so through a partner

Tips on reaching the UK market

Use the general holiday messages in your marketing
Appeal to someone who wants to get away from it all, or paint a picture of how they can spend quality time together at your business.
Dial up how your product covers the motivating themes
How are you connected, for example, to landscapes and nature or history and culture?
Create a new product
If you don’t currently cover these topics enough, could you create something new or expand your current product? There could be an opportunity to partner with another business to launch a bespoke and immersive experience.
Talk about what else is nearby
You might not cover the key themes, but maybe you’re right next door, making it the perfect place to stop after.
Create a picture of a whole trip
The customer wants something to do, somewhere to eat and somewhere to stay. Show how your business can be a part of an overall trip.
Talk about accessibility
List the nearest train station, bus stop and bus routes for your business to help people get around and provide parking with electric charge points. You should also find out and share what your nearest walking and cycling routes are.
Include your sustainability
Highlight on your website and social media channels how your sustainable practices help protect and preserve Scotland’s landscapes and nature. Go into some detail on how this supports the local community, and how their money is going to local suppliers.
Consider seasonality
The domestic market takes trips to Scotland all year round. Different groups plan and book further in advance, for example in February, you could be marketing a trip in May to Scottish residents but a trip in September to the rest of the UK.

Your next steps

Manage your website

Find out what makes a good accessible website including key pages and booking systems, and how you can develop and improve this digital channel.

Article

7 minute read

Manage your social media accounts

Find out how to use social media to share information about your business and inspire people to come and visit you.

Article

7 minute read

Other types of marketing

Learn more about the ways you can promote your business through marketing and how to get started.

Article

5 minute read

Promoting responsible tourism

Promote Scotland online responsibly with sustainable activities, off-season stays, and eco-friendly travel benefiting communities and businesses.

Article

5 minute read

Selling through travel distribution partners

Learn about travel distribution and how working with a partner can help to grow your business.

Making accommodation bookable

Check out our top tips for being online bookable, and find a list of potential booking systems to introduce to your accommodation business.

Article

3 minute read

Choosing an online booking system for your business

Find the right online booking system for your experience and make it easier to take and manage customer bookings.

How-to

9 minute read

Related pages

How to target and reach the US market

Understand the US market and adjust your product and marketing to reach this audience.

How-to

6 minute read

How to target and reach the German market

Understand the German market and adjust your product and marketing to reach this audience.

How-to

6 minute read

Customer travel trends

Find out how you can adapt your business to align with these customer travel trends and feature them in your marketing.

How-to

6 minute read

How to target and reach the cycling market

Find about more about who the cycling market is, where they visit from and what you can do to improve your service.

Article

11 minute read

Sign up for the latest advice

Sign up for the Business Support monthly newsletter to get the latest advice and tips straight to your inbox. We’ll keep you informed with up-to-date insights, case studies and best practice guides to help you start, improve or grow your business.

Get the Business Support newsletter