The Scottish tourist attractions with a third more visitors due to Outlander effect

Newhailes House near Musselburgh, which served as Governor Tyron's home in North Carolina in series four of the show, saw visitor numbers soar by 30 per cent in 2025, according to a report by from the Moffat Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University, and the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA).

Culzean Castle and Country Park in Ayrshire, which is close to Dunure Harbour and beach served as the filming location for Silkie’s Island in Outlander series three, also saw an increase of 34.9 per cent over the past year.

The report warned that visitors to Scotland’s tourist attractions are looking for value for money as the cost of living crisis bites - as Edinburgh Castle and The National Museum of Scotland remain the country’s top paid for and free attractions.

The new data shows the overall number of visitors to paid-for attractions in Scotland rose to 18.96 million last year, up 1.1 per cent from 2024.

However, the study found visitors are prioritising shorter trips and looking for cost-effective experiences.

Free attractions, however, recorded 31.3m visits, down 1.4m on the previous year.

Edinburgh Castle remained the most popular paid-for attraction in Scotland, with numbers increasing last year by 3.2 per cent to just over 2m.

The National Museum of Scotland remained the number one free attraction with numbers increasing 0.1 per cent to 2.3m, while the number of visitors to Edinburgh Zoo was up 20.1 per cent.

Chris Greenwood, senior research fellow at the Moffat Centre, said the effect of Outlander, which recently screened its fourth and final series, was continuing.

He told The Scotsman: “The Outlander effect and screen tourism are clearly a driving factor at Newhailes and Culzean. Clearly there is a desire to go to these ‘set jetting’ locations.

He added: “More people are looking for a more curated or active experience, If you’re going to invest money in a situation where the cost of living is more expensive, you’re looking for some kind of return - physical or emotional.

“If it is a case of going to an attraction because it appeared in Outlander, or Glasgow where they filmed the new Spiderman movie when they go to Kelvingrove, then it’s worth the investment of a family’s hard earned money.”

Mr Greenwood said smaller and more remote destinations continued to outperform expectations, with places like Clackmannanshire, up 23.9 per cent, and Angus, up 13.5 per cent, showing that destination-led travel remains strong.

He added: “The takeaway for operators is clear. Demand hasn’t disappeared, but it has become more targeted.

“Visitors are prioritising shorter trips, specific interests, and experiences that feel worth the money. Attractions that can clearly articulate value, relevance, and ease of visit appear to be holding up best. The challenge isn’t simply driving volume. It’s converting a cautious consumer by proving value for money and relevance.”

In the top 10 of free attractions, The Glenfinnan Monument, The National War Museum, and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum had strong years, posting increases of 20.8 per cent, 9.9 per cent and 3.2 per cent respectively.

Michael Golding, chief executive of ASVA, said: "The cost of business is rising and therefore so is the cost to visitors, meanwhile, our domestic visitors that are our main audience have less money to spend, so clearly it is challenging. A commitment to being ‘worth it’ through high quality experiences as well as innovation is helping to provide resilience.

"Creating a strong connection with a local audience is of ever-growing importance, and offering a membership or reduced repeat cost of entry is helping attractions encourage return visitors who are still spending on secondary aspects such as the cafe and retail.”