The influence of Outlander on Scottish tourism remains strong, with filming locations continuing to attract visitors a decade after the series premiered. A new report examines the impact of the television and literary franchise and the wider role of screen tourism in Scotland. It comes as separate industry data puts visitor spending on screen tourism activities at £161.4 million in 2023.The report also records rising online interest during the launch of the Outlander prequel, Blood of My Blood, and increased visits to heritage attractions featured in the series across Scotland. According to Visit Scotland (2025), many filming locations have seen visitor numbers more than double over the past decade, with Blackness Castle recording a 367% increase between 2014 and 2024.
Scotland records £161.4 million from screen tourism
The £161.4 million figure comes from Screen Scotland’s report, The Economic Value of the Screen Sector in Scotland in 2023. It values visitor expenditure on screen tourism activities across Scotland during that year. It is not an Outlander-only figure. VisitScotland describes screen tourism as the tourism impact of TV and film productions on a destination. Also known as set-jetting, it involves people travelling to places after seeing them on screen.The updated Outlander Effect report draws on visitor insights and figures from VisitScotland, VisitBritain and the Moffat Centre. It includes visitor numbers for selected attractions featured in Outlander and considers the wider influence of other screen productions.
How has Outlander boosted visits to Scotland’s historic castles
Outlander premiered in 2014. Over the decade since its debut, filming locations and visitor attractions linked to the time-travel romance have recorded substantial visitor numbers.Blackness Castle, which appeared in the first season, recorded a 367% rise in visitors between 2014 and 2024. Many Outlander filming locations had more than doubled their visitor numbers over the same ten-year period.Historic Environment Scotland manages many heritage sites used as filming locations. These sites include references to their role in the series, including an audio guide at Doune Castle voiced by Sam Heughan.
How do films and TV shows influence travel choices to Scotland
The report says one in five visitors are inspired by films, television programmes and books featuring Scotland when choosing a trip to the country. The proportion rises to 36% among European visitors and 37% among long-haul visitors. It also reports that seven in ten UK leisure visitors have visited a film or television location in the past ten years.Visitors influenced by film, television and literature are more likely to include historic buildings in their trips. The figures show that 78% visit a castle, 65% a cathedral and 62% a stately home.
Online interest in Outlander locations rose in August 2025
Online interest also rose during the launch of Blood of My Blood, the Outlander prequel series. Views of Outlander content rose by 8.4% in August 2025, when the prequel premiered, compared with the previous month. At the time of the report’s publication on 9 October 2025, the series was due to conclude the following day.Outlander filming locations and a 12-day Outlander itinerary were the most popular related searches. Together, they received more than 55,000 page views over 12 months. Most users viewing these pages came from the UK, the United States, Australia, and Canada.
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