Two-thirds of visitors to Orkney who took part in a recent survey said that it was one of the best trips they had ever taken. Worryingly, however, visitor numbers have dropped by 10% since 2019.

The 2024 Orkney Islands Visitor Survey, commissioned by Orkney Islands Council in partnership with VisitScotland was conducted between April and October 2024 and excludes cruise visitors.  

Commenting on the results of the survey Cheryl Chapman, VisitScotland Development Manager for Orkney, said: 

“It is fantastic to see that Orkney’s renowned offering and welcome are continuing to earn praise from visitors across the world. However, these findings are a reminder that our tourism and events industry continues to face challenges.  

“Many businesses are still navigating cost challenges, while changes to local services, such as the loss of the John O’Groats ferry in 2024, might also have impacted visits and visitor spending last year. 

“We know that tourism and events are among Orkney’s most valuable sectors. Their success creates a ripple effect which powers a vibrant visitor economy. It is more than simply going on holiday; it is this cumulative impact which highlights why growing the visitor economy is so important – it is something that benefits us all. 

“The added value tourism delivers can be felt right across Orkney, in jobs, incomes and the services we all enjoy. 

“We remain steadfast in our support to local businesses and events, helping them create memorable experiences that attract new and returning visitors.  

“At the same time, we continue to work with partners to promote Orkney as a must-visit, must return, year-round destination. The survey is a great piece of work that provides a good evidence-based platform on which to plan our sustainable tourism offer going forward.” 

The top three reasons people wanted to visit Orkney were:

• the scenery and landscape
• Orkney’s history, culture and heritage
• it is a place I have always wanted to visit

The survey did not include cruise ship visitors but was of the independent traveller staying for a few days. It showed that the average spend-per-person during ‘peak months’ has increased. Spend-per-person was £351 in 2019, which rose to £464 in 2024 (a 32% rise). Even when adjusted for inflation, it remains an increase (just over 6%). 

For the whole year, visitor spend was down.

However, while the total annual spend by visitors to Orkney rose from £67 million in 2019 to £78 million in 2024, when adjusted for inflation, it represents a ‘real term’ fall of 6.4%. This suggests the industry may still be recovering from the impacts of COVID-19 and a challenging economic landscape.  

The Ring of Brodgar topped the sites visited followed by: Skara Brae; St Magnus Cathedral; The Italian Chapel; and the museums and heritage centres.

“There were four large cruise ships visiting during our visit. This made it difficult for us to obtain tickets to certain historic sites (e.g. Skara Brae) and to obtain bookings for dinner at restaurants.”

The findings showed that interactions with local people were a particular highlight for visitors in 2024 – 95% of leisure visitors agreed that they were made to feel really welcome, 88% agreed that the local people they met really added to their holiday experience, and 91% agreed that they had experienced excellent customer service. 

Fewer visitors are choosing Orkney

The total number of visits in 2024 was 173,037, showing a fall of 10% from 192,173 in 2019. The majority of visitors were there for leisure (116,360), followed by visiting friends and relatives (27,550), and business (29,136).    

26% of the visitors to Orkney come from Scotland with the rUK amounting to 32%.

42% were from overseas:

• 22% from Europe
• 13% from North America
• 7% from Australia/New Zealand.

Two-thirds of the visitors were visiting Orkney for the first time.   

VisitScotland will close the Orkney Visitor Centre, located at the Bus station, this year. The facility provides excellent and expert advice for visitors and locals alike. The Shetland iCentre was closed by VisitScotland but has been re-opened by local people.

Councillor Kristopher Leask, Chair of Development & Infrastructure Committee at Orkney Islands Council, said: 

“We were delighted to work in partnership with VisitScotland to fund this survey which sets out a very clear picture of why visitors are choosing to visit Orkney, what their experience of our beautiful islands has been, and the economic value that has to the Orkney economy. 

“This provides crucial information to inform the Council, our partners, and the tourism sector here as we continue to make Orkney one of the best places in Scotland to visit.

“Working with VisitScotland and the local industry helps inform the important work of the Orkney Marketing Programme that the Council funds and delivers in partnership with HIE and which supports a number of marketing campaigns, including Orkney.com, which, as the main regional website, is so instrumental in bringing visitors here, as the results of this survey demonstrates. 

“We are thrilled to see the feedback on the visitor experience – particularly the warm Orcadian welcome visitors received where 95% of leisure visitors agreed made them feel really welcome, nine in 10 believed local people added to their holiday experience, and 91% experienced excellent customer service. Our beautiful scenery and tourist attractions are what draw visitors to our islands, but it is the people who live here who truly make Orkney the special place it is, and it’s satisfying to see that come through so strongly in this survey. 

“Whilst the real term reduction in spend could be down to the cost of living, recovering from the impacts of the pandemic, and factors such as more business meetings taking place online, it is very positive news for Orkney that we have managed to largely retain our visitor market and that the average spend-per-person during ‘peak months’ has increased by 32% between 2019 and 2024, which is just over 6% even when adjusted for inflation.” 

You can download a brief Factsheet about the survey here:

For more information about the survey, please visit: https://www.visitscotland.org/research-insights/regions/orkney 

The Orkney Top Five for Visitors

Fiona Grahame

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