Scottish locations that have appeared on TV programme Outlander attracted nearly two million visits last year, with many of them in Edinburgh and the Lothians, according to a report by VisitScotland.
The latest report by the national tourism organisation into the effect the TV show’s locations are still enjoying shows a huge boost in visitors a decade after the series first aired.
Outlander, based on the books by author Diana Gabaldon, has been credited with bringing the landscape and scenery of Scotland to a new worldwide audience, with tourists flocking to filming locations.
Figures compiled by the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business Development at Glasgow Caledonian University, published by VisitScotland, show many key sites enjoyed visitor numbers over 100% higher than when the series began in 2014.
Among the leading visitor attractions to have benefitted is Doune Castle in Perthshire, which drew 119,392 people last year compared with 47,069 in 2014 when it first doubled as the fictional Castle Leoch, representing an increase of 153.65%.
Blackness Castle, the 15th century fortress in West Lothian that provided the setting for the Fort William HQ of Black Jack Randall, climbed 366.97% from 16,559 visitors in 2014 to 77,326 last year.
Glencoe Visitor Centre, whose surrounding landscape famously features in Outlander’s opening credits, welcomed 359,653 people last year, compared with 130,006 a decade ago, a jump of 176.64%, and Culloden Visitor Centre near Inverness soared by 279.07% from 98,780 to 374,443 in the same period.
Newhailes House in East Lothian has enjoyed the most significant increase in footfall. The property only attracted 4831 visitors in 2014 when Outlander first hit screens, rising to 68,360 in 2018 when it first served as Governor Tryon’s home in North Carolina.
Last year, Newhailes House attracted 304,111 people, representing a 344.11% increase on 2018, and an astonishing 6194.99% higher than in 2014 thanks to the Outlander Effect.
Preston Mill and Phantassie Doocot, also in East Lothian, which provided the backdrop for Jacobite scenes in the first series, have seen visitor numbers jump 77.78% from just 1872 in 2014 to 3328 last year.
Meanwhile, Glasgow Cathedral has risen by 46.14% since it first provided the setting for L’Hopital Des Anges in Paris in the second series, from 296,062 in 2016 to 432,682 last year.
And Culross Palace, at the heart of the “the Outlander village” in Fife has seen a 142.21% increase in footfall from 10,669 visitors in 2014 to 25,841 in 2024.
Other sites that have seen growth thanks to the “Outlander Effect” and the so-called “set-jetters” who flock to see filming locations include Aberdour Castle in Fife (+12.59%), Craigmillar Castle near Edinburgh (+10.53%) and Linlithgow Palace in West Lothian (+33.62%).
The TV series stars Sam Heughan as Highlander Jamie Fraser and Caitriona Balfe as time travelling combat nurse Claire Randall, and is based on Gabaldon’s series of novels and short stories first published in 1991.
The US author was honoured with a special Scottish Thistle Award in 2019 from VisitScotland for International Contribution to Scottish Tourism due to the phenomenal impact of her books and the subsequent TV adaptations.
The new “The Outlander Effect” report examines the impact of the hit literary and TV franchise, and the wider implications of screen tourism on Scotland, following a recent Screen Scotland report, which valued visitor expenditure on screen tourism activities in Scotland at £161.4 million.
The tourism organisation said the latest results showed the impact of Outlander “remains strong”.
Jenni Steele, Film and Creative Industries Manager at VisitScotland, said: “The impact Outlander has had on Scottish tourism is astonishing. Not since Braveheart has a screen production had such a profound effect on our industry.
“I can’t believe that it’s only been ten years since Outlander first premiered. We saw straight away how fans were reacting to the show; they had a hunger to visit the real Scotland – to immerse themselves in our history, culture and, of course, our beautiful landscapes – and that desire remains strong.
“Outlander is continually cited by visitors in our surveys, and each season premiere sees a spike in online interest for Scotland. It also looks like the new prequel series, Blood of My Blood, could carry on that Scottish fandom.
“The series provides a platform for us to market Scotland to the North American market and key European markets and is an opportunity for businesses to engage with a captive audience.
“The breadth of the filming locations and Scotland’s integral place in the storyline has helped support our work to spread visitors across the regions and seasons.
“Screen tourism as a whole gets people talking about Scotland. There is a real buzz about the major productions that have been shot across the country in recent years and there’s no doubt this trend will continue for many years to come.”
Emma Filgas, founder of the award-winning historic tour guide, Mary’s Meanders, tells the report: “The only way to describe an Outlander tour – whether it lasts a single day or a full week – is joyful.
“Our guests are always thrilled to arrive at each location, often reciting the dialogue word for word from the scenes filmed there.”
Scots actor Graham McTavish, who played clan chief Dougal MacKenzie in the series, said of its impact: “I remember I went to Doune castle with my daughter just before we started filming and there was nobody there – we were the only two people, it was just deserted.Now when you go back it’s busloads of people going through.
“Obviously we wanted to make sure the fans of the books were happy but you get together and you do your best to create something that you are proud of and you hope that other people enjoy it as well.
“It’s had a genuine impact on tourism in Scotland, which is fantastic.”
He added: “There’s rarely a day goes by that that show doesn’t impact me in some way, that somebody comes up to me or they recognise me from it or whatever, wherever I am in the world.”
