Seasonal spread of visitors to Grampian, 2017
This data is drawn from the International Passenger Survey (IPS), a continuous survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It covers all major air, sea and tunnel ports, providing detailed information on the numbers and types of visits made by people travelling to and from the UK.
The Grampian figures closely mirror those published at a Scotland wide level:
January-March: 13%
April-June: 27%
July-September: 40%
October-December: 20%
In 2017, just over two-thirds (68%) of visitors travelled to the region between April - September, and one-third (32%) travelled in the traditionally quieter months of October - March. This reflects a positive shift in visitor travel compared to 2016 where 80% visited between April and September and 20% between October and March.
As articulated within our Destination Strategy 2018-2023, a priority for the region is to "Develop experiences that will attract visitors to explore the full territory of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire all year round in support of a strong visitor economy." These figures for 2017 reflect a positive step towards that year round spread.