scotland visitor survey aberdeenshire presentation

Scotland Visitor Survey

© TNS January 2013

Scotland Visitor Survey 2012 Aberdeenshire Results Presentation - 11th April 2013

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© TNS January 2013

Agenda

2

Survey findings and suggested actions 03

1 Setting the scene 04

2 Who is the visitor? 08

3 Planning and booking 15

4 Experiencing Scotland 19

5 Overall Visitor Experience 33


© TNS January 2013

Survey findings and suggested actions

3

Aberdeenshire attracts a slightly older age profile compared to visitors to Scotland overall. Many were repeat visitors, with 68% feeling a connection to Scotland.

Bookings for accommodation and travel are most likely to be online, although a high proportion of UK visitors do not book travel in advance.

Stays in Aberdeenshire average around 5 nights.

Local people had a huge positive impact on the overall visitor experience with 91% agreeing that they were made to feel welcome by locals.

Provision of information and helpful and friendly people both perform particularly well in terms of satisfaction, while areas for concern include Wi-Fi and mobile phone reception.

The most popular activities for visitors in Aberdeenshire are visiting historical sites, short walks and visiting country parks. VICs perform well at offering useful information on attractions and places to visit.

Recommendations and connections play a big part in motivating first time visitors to the area. Focus on building connections to encourage repeat visits.

Overseas visitors rely heavily on online sources for booking both accommodation and travel so maintaining online information and providing access to internet booking options is key.

Highlighting the potential for Aberdeenshire to be the ‘main’ attraction for Overseas visitors could increase the average length of stay.

The people are a huge strength of the visitor experience within Aberdeenshire and for Scotland overall, and continuing to communicate this message both to visitors and to the local population is important.

Promotional messaging around areas of high satisfaction would be beneficial while opportunities to improve internet access would be welcomed by many visitors.

In order to encourage a wider range of activities, VICs offer a good opportunity to highlight lesser known attractions, which may be particularly beneficial to repeat visitors who are visiting friends and family.

Survey findings Suggested actions


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1 Setting the Scene


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Background to the survey

5

Objectives of the survey The main objective for the Scotland Visitor survey was to understand visitors to Scotland through profiling,

analysis of behaviour and an understanding of their satisfaction with the visit.

Interviews with visitors were undertaken in 14 regions of Scotland in the summers of 2011 and 2012. Interviews with visitors in Aberdeenshire were conducted in June-September 2012.

This report focuses on results relating to visitors to Aberdeenshire only during summer 2012. Further information on the overall Scotland Visitor Survey survey results can be found on www.visitscotland.org

Using and interpreting the Scotland Visitor Survey results

The Scotland Visitor Survey results should not be viewed in isolation. The survey collates views on a wide range of topics to supplement data on tourism in Scotland which is gathered by the annual statistical surveys undertaken at a national level by;

The Great Britain Tourism Survey, which provides volume and value estimates of domestic tourism from within Scotland and the rest of Great Britain and;

The Office of National Statistics' International Passenger Survey, which provides details of tourism from abroad. The Scotland Visitor Survey gathers information from holidaymakers in Scotland on their experiences of Scotland. The

survey captured the views of leisure overnight visitors only (this could include Scots spending an overnight trip away from their normal place of residence, as well as UK and overseas visitors).

People on a day trip from home, visitors whose main purpose was a business trip and cruise ship visitors were excluded. The Scotland Visitor Survey is a summer only survey, and due to the scale of the project, it is not carried out for the

full year. As such the results reflect the views of the main holiday season visitors who were in Scotland during June-

September.

http://www.visitscotland.org/


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Survey Background – Visits to Aberdeenshire

*Further information available for weighting on the Scotland Visitor Survey overleaf

Email collected during visitors’

holidays

Online survey

164 completed surveys

Results analysed & weighted

392 Face to face short interviews with visitors in Aberdeenshire. Face to face

interviews took place between June & September 2012

Online survey sent to email addresses between July and October 2012

164 online surveys completed about trips taken in Aberdeenshire.

(This included visitors who were interviewed in Aberdeenshire only)

Results weighted to reflect the actual proportion of UK/Overseas visitors to Aberdeenshire*


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Overview of Aberdeenshire survey locations

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Locations F2F Interviews 2012 Online Completes 2012

Crathes Castle (including Woodend Barn, Banchory Museum/VIC)

142 52

Castle Fraser, Inverurie (NTS) 53 34

Grampian Transport Museum 37 15

Stonehaven 36 8

The Aquarium at MacDuff 29 7

Fraserburgh (Museum of Scottish Lighthouses and Fraserburgh Heritage Centre)

26 11

Banff/Macduff and Duff House 22 11

Banchory Town Centre 20 8

Mintlaw Aden Country Park/Farming Museum 14 9

Kildrummy Castle / Gardens 8 5

Pitmedden Gardens 5 4

TOTAL ABERDEENSHIRE 392 164


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2 Who is the visitor? Who we spoke to during the summer


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4% 9%

26%

25%

22%

14%

16-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+

Slightly older age profile than Scotland overall (51% over 55 v 43% for all Scotland)

Visitors to Aberdeenshire Most visitors to Aberdeenshire were from the UK, rather than overseas. Those aged 35-54 years were the most likely to visit Aberdeenshire

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Gender

%

Origin

%

52%

32%

Rest of UK

26%

Scotland

23%

Europe

19%

Rest of world

Source: Q1 Which country do you live, Q40 Gender, Q41 Age

58% UK 42% Overseas

48%

More overseas than Scotland overall (42% v 27%)


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First time vs. Repeat visitor

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30% of visitors to Aberdeenshire were on their first trip to Scotland, 70% were repeat visitors.

%

SOURCE: Q4 Was this your first holiday or short break in Scotland?

First time

visitor, 30%

Repeat visitor,

70%

UK visitors to Aberdeenshire were more likely to be on

their first visit to Scotland (52%).

Similar proportion of first time visitors to

Scotland overall (27%)


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Who are visitors travelling with? Most visitors to Aberdeenshire are only travelling with one other person and this is most likely to a partner or spouse. Those from the UK are most likely to be travelling with children

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Average party size: 2

UK visitors are the most likely to be travelling with children (40%).

76%

34%

13%

12%

10%

5%

1%

Partner/spouse

Your child/children

Friend(s)

Other members of your family

Your parents or your partner's parents

I was on my own

Someone else

Scottish and Repeat visitors are the most likely to bring other members of their family (23% and 15%)

Source: Q11 Which best describes who was with you on this trip. Q12 How many people were there in your immediate party.

Compared to Scotland overall – more likely to be travelling with partner or family – less likely to be with

friends or larger groups.



Do you have a connection with Scotland?

68% of visitors to

Aberdeenshire say they have a

connection with Scotland

34%

Have family in Scotland

20%

Have friends in Scotland

Have no previous

connections with Scotland

65% of Europeans have no connections with Scotland

13%

Have lived in Scotland previously

Connections with Scotland In terms of broad connections to Scotland, 68% of visitors to Aberdeenshire feel they have a connection with Scotland. European visitors to Aberdeenshire are the least likely to have a previous connection with Scotland

32%

Q10 Before your trip, did you have any connections with Scotland?

14%

Ancestors lived in Scotland

University

8%

No specific connections but have visited many

times

5%

Business

8%

Similar proportion of visitors with

connections as Scotland overall (67%)


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24%

21%

14%

14%

13%

10%

7%

7%

5%

4%

4%

Scenery/landscape of this area

Family connections in this area

It is an area I know well –been before

To visit a particular attraction

Particular interest in history of this area

It was recommended to me by friends/relatives

Found a good accommodation deal there

Specific activities like golf or walking available

To stay in a particular hotel or other accommodation

Special occasion/celebration took place there

Information in a Tourist Board Brochure

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Key motivators to visit Aberdeenshire Scenery was the main reason to visit the area. Family connections were also strong however least for first time visitors. Their main motivation was recommendations from friends or family

Q18 Which of the following prompted you to visit Aberdeen City and Shire?

24% first time visitors

10% first time visitors

Scenery and family connections more

significant in this area than Scottish ‘average’


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3 Planning & Booking Where can I find information about Scotland? How shall I book my trip?



14%

12%

20%

29%

22%

12%

14%

11%

19%

32%

11%

Didn't book in advance

Less than 2 weeks

2 weeks up to 4 weeks

1 to 2 months

3 to 6 months

Over 6 months

Planning Booking

Planning to booking... Visitors to Aberdeenshire were most likely to start planning and booking their trip to Scotland between 3 and 6 months beforehand.

SOURCE: Q13 How far in advance did you start planning this trip?

Q14 And how far in advance did you book your trip in Scotland?

Average planning time before trip: 17 weeks

Average booking time

before trip: 12 weeks

First time visitors had a slightly longer average booking period than repeat visitors (14 weeks

compared to 12 weeks)

Similar planning and booking lead times to Scotland as a whole.


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SOURCE: Q16a How did you book your accommodation.

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Accommodation 60% Booked

accommodation online

17% booked offline

didn’t book in advance or stayed with friends, holiday home.

23%

34% Accommodation Website

12% Accommodation by email

10% Internet travel agent

2% Website of tour operator/

travel company

2% VisitScotland.com

Accommodation by phone

Booking: Accommodation Most visitors booked through online sources for their accommodation, however a high number (23%) did not book in advance at all or were staying with friends or family

11%

Tourist board 1%

Others 4%

Similar results as for Scotland overall (67%

booked online)



Travel booked travel online

Booking: Travel Just over half of visitors to Aberdeenshire booked their travel online, mainly through a travel provider website. Over a third didn’t book their travel in advance

SOURCE: Q16b How did you book your travel.

44% Travel provider website

6% Internet travel agent

2% VisitScotland.com

1% Website of tour operator

Used own transport

7%

53%

8% booked offline

5% Travel agent (High St)

3% Others

32% didn’t book in advance

57% UK 2% Overseas

25% UK

67% Overseas

12% UK 0% Overseas

Larger proportion booking online than

Scottish average (43%) – related to greater proportions flying to destination.


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4 Experiencing Aberdeenshire


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Short break

60%

Visiting Friends &

Family

29%

What type of visit was it? Most visitors to Aberdeenshire were there on a holiday. Nearly 3 in 10 came to visit friends and family

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Q 2 Which of the following best describes your trip?

7% on

an other type of

leisure visit

Similar to results for Scotland as a whole.


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26

23

8

2 2 6

Touring Based in

countryside

location

Friends and

family

City plus City only Activity break Other (inc.

Golf, Events)

21

First time visitors are more likely to be touring (71%)

Source: Q3 And more specifically, how would you describe your trip?

1ST

63%

40%

UK

Overseas

Type of trip Those visiting Aberdeenshire were most likely to be touring around Scotland, staying in a countryside location or visiting friends and family. Overseas and first time visitors were most likely to be on a touring trip.

visit

A higher proportion of Aberdeenshire visitors were on visits to see friends and family compared to Scotland visitors overall

(23% v 10%).


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Length of stay in Aberdeenshire 79% of visitors to the area stayed 7 nights or less. Scottish visitors were likely to only stay 1-3 nights.

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Source: Q9 During your trip, how many nights did you stay overnight in Aberdeen City and Shire?

1-3 Nights 4-7 Nights 8-10 Nights

Rest of UK visitors

52% 10% 27%

11-13 Nights 14 Nights 15+Nights

24% 1-3 nights 74% 1-3 nights

Scottish visitors

Overseas visitors

4%

51% 4-7 nights

61% 1-3 nights

16% 4-7 nights

5 nights Average length of

stay

3% 3%



People

Guidebooks/

Brochures

Online

Asking locals 33%

Asking proprietors/ service staff

28%

Asking other travellers 7%

Source: Q22 And during your trip which of the following other methods, if any, did you use to obtain information about places to visit and things to do?

@

Finding information during the trip Visitors to Aberdeenshire predominantly use Visit Scotland brochures or guidebooks to access information. Asking locals and accessing information on a laptop is also popular.

A Laptop 32%

Smartphone 29%

An iPad/tablet PC 12%

Internet in the reception or another public area

8%

The VisitScotland Days Out App

4%

Visited an internet cafe 1%

Brochure provided by VisitScotland/Tourist Board

38%

Guide books (e.g. Fodors, Lonely Planet)

33%

Tour operator's brochure

5%

At the Scottish level Tablet usage increased from 6% to in 2011 to 15% in 2012 (average 10% over both years) Smartphone increased slightly from 30% to 32% (average 31% over both years)



Source: Q28a Did you take part in any of the following during this trip in Aberdeenshire.

Top activities undertaken in Aberdeenshire The most popular activities in Aberdeenshire were visiting historic houses and taking short walks.

58%

50%

46%

45%

43%

42%

39%

32%

32%

27%

27%

27%

27%

26%

24%

20%

17%

14%

Visited a historic house, stately home, castle

Short walk/stroll - up to 2 miles/1 hour

Visited a country park/ garden

Shopping

Sightseeing by car/ coach/on foot

Trying local food

Visited a beach

Visited cities

Visited a cathedral, church, abbey or other religious building

Long walk, hike or ramble (minimum of 2 miles/ 1 hour)

Visited a museum/art gallery

Centre based walking (i.e. around town centre)

Visited a visitor/heritage centre

Visited a scenic/ historic railway/other architecture

Night out /visiting pubs

Had a picnic or BBQ

Watched wildlife, bird watching

Visited a whisky distillery

Visits to historic houses, stately homes and

castles, taking short walks and visits to country

parks are all slightly more popular amongst visitors to

Aberdeenshire than Scotland overall.


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33%

27%

15%

16%

7%

Hotel (Net)

Friends / family

B&B / Guest House

Self catering

Caravanning

25

Source: Q27 What type of accommodation did you stay in during your trip – Aberdeen City and Shire?

Overseas

Type of Accommodation in Aberdeenshire Hotels were the most popular type of accommodation in Aberdeenshire, however over a third of UK visitors stayed with friends or family.

1%

15%

14%

5%

UK visitors more likely to be staying with friends and family (35%).

Overseas visitors are more likely to use hotels (37%) and B&Bs (29%)

Hotel star grading Stays with friends and relatives were much more popular amongst Aberdeenshire visitors than amongst visitors to Scotland overall.



Source:Q30a&b Expectations and experience of food before and during trip?

Experiences of Food Amongst visitors to Aberdeenshire visitors the expectation is slightly lower than the reality of the food. A quarter of visitors rated their experience as excellent

3%

9%

22%

56%

9%

1%

2%

16%

57%

25%

Very poor

Poor

Neither

Good

Excellent

Experience of food during trip

Expectation of food before trip



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Eating out Visitors to Aberdeenshire are most likely to eat in a cafe or tea shop. Pubs, bars and hotels are also popular.

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56%

52%

49%

46%

35%

30%

24%

16%

15%

4%

Cafes/tea shops

Pubs/bars

Hotel/s

Good quality restaurants

Friends / Relatives home

Budget restaurants

Other types of accommodation e.g. B&B/

Guest house

Fast food outlets

Fine dining/premium quality restaurants

None of these

Q29 In which of the following types of places did you eat at whilst on your holiday/short break?



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Other UK

Europe Rest of World

Car own\friend's\firm's 58% 14% 13%

Car - hired 8% 38% 23%

Plane 15% 41% 55%

Train 15% - 3%

28 28

Airports used

Getting to Scotland Visitors from the UK are most likely to drive into Scotland, and for Europeans this was also a popular method of transport. The overseas visitors were most likely to fly into Aberdeen Airport

35%

25%

8%

8%

10%

8%

3%

3%

3%

Aberdeen airport

Edinburgh airport

Glasgow airport

Inverness airport

London Heathrow

Manchester Airport

London Stansted

London Luton

Other Airport in UK

Q24 What transport did you use on the longest part of your trip. Base: All Aberdeenshire respondents except Scottish residents Q25. Which airport did you arrive into. Base: All Aberdeenshire respondents except Scottish residents

Compared to the rest of Scotland, domestic visitors to Aberdeenshire are more likely to fly to Scotland

and they are far more likely to arrive in Aberdeen Airport.


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Getting around Scotland Most visitors to Aberdeenshire travelled by car.

29

62%

34%

29%

16%

12%

9%

4%

3%

2%

1%

1%

3%

Car own\friend's\firm's

Car - hired

Walked\on foot

Train

Regular bus\coach

Boat\ship\ferry

Bicycle

Organised coach tour

Motorised

caravan\camper\dormo…

Plane

Motor cycle

Other

Q26 And which types of transport did you use during your visit, while in Scotland?

Compared to Scotland as a whole more use of hire cars but less use of public transport.



I was made to feel very welcome on my holiday by locals

Interaction with local people really added to my holiday experience

I made friends with other travellers I met during my holiday

Interacting with others during the trip Visitors to Aberdeenshire were made to feel welcome and around half felt that interaction with locals really added to their experiences.

52% agree 91% agree 15% agree

Q23 Thinking about people you met during your holiday, which of the following applies to you?

More positive than all Scotland average (80%).


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19%

15%

3%

2%

1%

1%

1%

36%

23% of all visitors in 2012 used any online platform to talk about their trip

Sharing experiences online during the trip Updating a Facebook status and uploading photos online were the most popular sharing methods for visitors to Aberdeenshire. A large percentage did not share online at all

Q22a. During your trip, did you do any of the following?

None of these

Updated facebook status

Uploaded trip photos to the internet, e.g. flickr, facebook

Left reviews on websites such as tripadvisor

Blogged about your trip

Tweeted about your trip

Instant messaging via MSN

Uploaded trip videos to the internet i.e. YouTube


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30%

21%

12%

3%

2%

2%

1%

59%

Sharing the experience after the trip After the trip, 31% of Aberdeenshire visitors shared trip experiences online, particularly through uploading photos.

Q38. After your trip, did you do any of the following? Base: all Aberdeenshire respondents

None of these

Updated facebook status

Uploaded trip photos to the internet, e.g. flickr, facebook

Left reviews on websites such as tripadvisor

Blogged about your trip

Tweeted about your trip

Instant messaging via MSN

Uploaded trip videos to internet e.g. YouTube


© TNS January 2013

5 Overall Visitor experience

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© TNS January 2013

Overall Experience 70% of visitors were satisfied with their visit to Aberdeenshire, with older visitors and those from the UK particularly satisfied.

70%

23%

4% 2%

2%

Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied

65+ age group

74%

Repeat Visitors

71%

UK visitors 76%

Who is most satisfied?

70% Very

satisfied

Q31 Now thinking about your trip overall, how would you rate your overall experience of Aberdeen City and Shire?

93% Very/fairly satisfied

(% very satisfied)

Similar to result for Scotland as a whole (73%)



Definitely 75%

Probably 19%

Fairly likely 5%

Probably not 1%

Definitely not 0%

Recommend Scotland 94% would definitely recommend Aberdeenshire to others, with those aged 65+ and UK visitors particularly likely to recommend the area

65+ years (87%)

UK (85%) Repeat visitors (83%)

Who is the most likely to recommend?

(% definitely recommend)

Q32 Based on your experiences during this trip, to what extent would you recommend Aberdeen City and Shire to friends and

family?

94% would definitely/probably

recommend

Lower than result for Scotland as a whole (88% definitely)



Definitely 51%

Probably 15%

Fairly likely 13%

Probably not 20%

Definitely not 1%

Likelihood to Return in next 5 years Half of Aberdeenshire visitors will definitely return in the next 5 years, however 20% say they will probably not

Who is the most likely to return?

(% definitely likely to return)

Scottish visitors (67%)

65+ (65%) Repeat visitors (63%)

UK visitors (63%)

Return to Scotland in the next 5 years

Q33 How likely are you to take another trip in/to Aberdeen City and Shire again in the next 5 years?

66% would definitely/probably intend to return to Scotland

Similar to average across all Scottish areas (48% definitely)



Aspects of the visit with high satisfaction in Aberdeenshire The best performing aspects of the visit for Aberdeenshire visitors were all related to the VIC’s friendly and efficient service, and the availability of useful information. Friendly and efficient accommodation service also ranked highly

54%

52%

53%

48%

44%

39%

44%

35%

37%

38%

36%

42%

47%

50%

46%

52%

Friendly and efficient service in VICs

Welcoming feel of VisitScotland Information Centres

Availability of useful information in VICs

Overall satisfaction with VisitScotland Information

Centres

Friendly and efficient service in accommodation

Ease of finding VisitScotland Information Centres

The availability of information locally about places

you can visit during your trip

Opportunities to interact with local people

Very satisfied (5) Fairly satisfied (4)

Q35 And thinking about your time in Aberdeen City and Shire, how satisfied were you with each of these aspects?

4.4

4.4

4.4

4.4

4.3

4.3

4.3

4.2

Mean Score (out of 5)


© TNS January 2013

Satisfaction with other aspects in Aberdeenshire The greatest areas for concern were Wi-Fi access, value for money when eating out and mobile phone reception. These were similar to concerns in other regions of Scotland.

38

Mean Score (out of 5)

32%

30%

31%

24%

21%

22%

31%

18%

22%

50%

49%

45%

48%

51%

43%

41%

54%

41%

Value for money of attractions (historic sites,

museums, visitor centres, etc.)

Opportunities to attend local events/ festivals

Availability of good quality accommodation

Value for money in accommodation

Availability of local produce when eating out

Availability of low cost/budget accommodation

Availability of mobile phone reception

Value for money of eating out

Availability of WiFi and broadband access

Very satisfied (5) Fairly satisfied (4)

4.2

4.1

4.0

3.9

3.9

3.8

3.8

3.8

3.6

Q35 And thinking about your time in Aberdeen City and Shire, how satisfied were you with each of these aspects?



Comments from respondents on their trip experience –

best aspects of Aberdeenshire

The friendliness of the people and how clean and fresh the air is there. It feels very healthy there

Absolutely surprising quality of food in pubs and restaurants, perfect train system (where still available), very friendly locals, lovely volunteers in historic houses and gorgeous nature.

A fantastic landscape combined with lovely people. I was surprised to be able to understand Scottish English. It was easier than expected.

Seeing family and spending time with them. Other than that, seeing beautiful places (Pitmeddon for example) and visiting stunning beaches - although the weather can be hit and miss.

We stayed in Ballater and it was very friendly. The hotel was nice as was the food. The scenery was lovely. We holiday in Scotland a lot. It's amazing to have all this in our own country

Loved driving through the countryside and stopping in small towns. Loved walking through some trails and visiting the distilleries and castles.


© TNS January 2013

Questions?

40

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