TV series Outlander helped Scottish visitor attractions outperform the rest of the UK last year, according to the latest annual industry report – with sites in the Lothians among the biggest winners.

Figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) show that trips to Scotland’s most popular sites increased by 2.6% in 2025, compared to the UK average of 2%.

Sites associated with Outlander, the hit TV series based on the books by Diana Gabaldon, contributed to the growth with some of the biggest spikes.

The increase in visits has been credited in part to “set-jetters” who flock from around the world to locations used for TV and film, with the “Outlander Effect” leading to an unprecedented surge since it first aired in 2014.

Scottish attractions that enjoyed higher than average increases last year include Doune Castle (126,532 visitors, up 6%); Glasgow Cathedral (477,560 visitors, up 10%); Culross Palace (29,405 visitors, up 14%) and Newhailes House in East Lothian (395,613 visitors, up 30%) – all of which have benefited from the time travel romance.

Newhailes only attracted a few thousand visitors per year before 2018 when it first served as Governor Tryon’s home in North Carolina in Outlander. Last year’s visitors represented a 505% increase since 2019.

Glasgow Cathedral continues to draw set-jetters nearly a decade after it doubled as L’Hopital Des Anges in Paris in the second Outlander series, while historic Doune Castle in Perthshire doubled as the fictional Castle Leoch and Glencoe Visitor Centre’s surrounding landscape famously featured in the opening credits.

Preston Mill and Phantassie Doocot in East Lothian, which provided the backdrop for Jacobite scenes, increased visitor numbers by 7% last year to 3560.

Culross Palace, at the heart of the “the Outlander village” in Fife, continues to grow in popularity, while Falkland Palace, which also featured, went up 99% to 71,768 in 2025.

Outlander focuses on the lead up and aftermath of the Battle of Culloden, when Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite uprising was crushed by government forces, and while The National Trust for Scotland’s Culloden Visitor Centre was 2% down from 2024 at 366,269 visits, visitor numbers remain 75% higher than pre-pandemic in 2019.

Bernard Donoghue, Director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) said: “We’ve known for years that film tourism is a really powerful motivator both for domestic and international audiences.

“They want to stand on the spot where history happened and where the film was shot. Outlander is a great example of a series that is so loved and comes with a fanbase, who are really drawn to it. A filming location has the magical USP of being authentic and real and therefore also accessible.”

Vicki Miller, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “It’s clear that the popularity of Outlander is continuing to have an impact on visitor numbers at attractions that are directly or indirectly linked to the TV series.

“Our own research of the Outlander Effect shows that there are no signs of this abating, even as we await the conclusion of the series in the coming months.

“Screen tourism is a long-term trend, especially for those international travellers, and so we expect the historical fantasy to drive visitors to Scotland and across the country for many years to come, helping to support jobs and local communities.”

Stuart Maxwell, of the National Trust for Scotland, added: “Outlander, and indeed other ‘set-jetting’ locations, remain popular.”

The TV series stars Heughan as Highlander Jamie Fraser and Balfe as nurse Claire Randall, who mysteriously travels back in time from 1945 to 1743, and becomes embroiled in the Jacobite uprising that would eventually lead to the Battle of Culloden.

Based on US author Gabaldon’s series of novels and short stories first published in 1991, filming took place in purpose-built studios in Cumbernauld and at locations throughout Scotland.

First aired in 2014, the eighth and final season is currently airing on Starz and in the UK on MGM+ via Prime Video.

The National Museum of Scotland (NMS) remained the nation’s most popular attraction with over 2.3 million, ahead of Edinburgh Castle (2,044,963) and National Galleries Scotland (2,004,777).

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