Scotland has welcomed more visitors from Germany thanks to the impression made by the Tartan Army at the Euros last summer, according to new figures.
The findings by VisitScotland reveal the positive knock-on effect of Scotland’s football fans who partied in Germany during last summer’s UEFA Euro 2024 finals.
An estimated 200,000 travelled to support the national team at their first overseas tournament since 1998.
While the team failed to progress beyond the group stage of the tournament, the Tartan Army attracted global media coverage and were voted “best supporters” in a poll by German media outlet RTL.
International Passenger Survey (IPS) figures for 2024, published by the Office for National Statistics, now show there were 508,000 visits from Germany in 2024 — second only to visitors from the USA — with £360 million in spend.
Following the Euros, July to September saw a rise in visits to 209,000 compared with 133,000 in the same period in 2023.
The quarter from October to December saw the biggest jump when compared with 2023, from 50,000 to 131,000.
The Anholt Nation Brands Index (NBI) report for Scotland also shows the influence of the Tartan Army on German views.
Out of 50 nations, Germans ranked Scotland second for “I would like to have a person from this country as a close friend” and fifth for having “welcoming people”.
Scotland was the number one ranked country Germans would visit if money was no object.
Online traffic from Germany to VisitScotland’s website almost doubled during Scotland’s participation at Euro 2024, from 13-23 June, marking an 83% increase on the same period in 2023.
Even after the team flew home, year-on-year web traffic from Germany was up by 57.7%.
Pages on food and drink, Outlander, Highland Games and Ben Nevis were among the most visited by German viewers.
Last August, web traffic from Germany to visitscotland.com was up 28.3% compared to the previous year.
Capitalising on the positive sentiment, VisitScotland collaborated with Skyscanner to drive bookings to Scotland, which resulted in a 19% increase in searches on Skyscanner from Germany between August and September.
Jill Walker, Director of Marketing and Digital at VisitScotland, said: “We all remember the incredible scenes of the Tartan Army fans interacting with other football fans and locals.
“They were amazing ambassadors for Scotland and epitomised our world-renowned warm Scottish welcome.
“Scotland has always been popular with German visitors due to our stunning scenery, rich history and culture, and, of course, our people. That’s why it is one of our key European markets.
“But it seems that those scenes at the Euros had a lasting impact on our German visitors too.”
The tourism boost was evident all over Scotland. The Crerar Hotel Group, which includes nine properties in Scotland, has seen traffic to its website from the German market increase by almost a quarter since the Euros.
Jodie Wright, Chief Commercial Officer at Crerar Hotels, said: “We’ve seen a notable 23% year-on-year increase in website traffic from the German market — a growth trend reflected across our entire portfolio… The exposure from the Euros last year may very well have had an impact.”
Drinks giant Diageo reported that of the 500,000 visitors that have booked distillery tours in the past 12 months, German visitors were the second top overseas nationality, behind only US visitors.
Dafydd Pugh Williams, Managing Director of Scotland Brand Homes at Diageo, said: “Scotch whisky tourism creates economic opportunities across Scotland, from our capital city to the communities of the Highlands and Islands.
“We are proud to welcome visitors and tourists from home and abroad and have seen strong growth over recent years in German tourists to our visitor experiences.”
TRIPorganiser, a family-owned Edinburgh-based tour operator, says it has seen a surge of interest from the German market since the beginning of the year.
Founder Beryl Preuschmann said: “The German market has our highest spenders by far and when they come they mention two things: the football and how welcoming Scotland is.
“We’ve definitely seen a Tartan Army bump… People know Scotland is welcoming and friendly. They all know about our beautiful landscapes and history. The Tartan Army brought home another aspect for Germany.
“The German people all had a drink with them, partied with them, and that feeling has stayed with them. They want to see where these fans are from.”
Iain Emerson, editor of the Famous Tartan Army Magazine, said: “The Tartan Army have been ambassadors for Scotland for many years — we’re unique with our bagpipes and our kilts. But qualifying for EURO 2024 really allowed the Scotland fans to show what they are all about.
“Around 200,000 travelled to Germany and, despite such massive numbers, there was no trouble whatsoever. Quite the opposite, it was one big party.
“On a daily basis you would hear stories of Scots fans making friendships with the German hosts and also opposition supporters.
“You would hear Germans talking about how fantastic the Scotland fans were so I’m not surprised lots of them decided to visit Scotland afterwards.”
He added: “I think the Tartan Army made a positive impact on the German economy, with all the beer they drank, so it’s nice to hear that they’re now coming over to Scotland in large numbers and spending some of that money over here.”
Skyscanner welcome sign at their Edinburgh office
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