Market, Impact and Potential

It is estimated that the value of country sports tourism to Scotland is in the region of a staggering £240m per year. In the UK there are over 4 million country sports participants, with many more overseas including 38 million in the USA. Freshwater angling makes up around £113m of this and shooting/stalking accounts for around £80m.

For comprehensive details and statistics regarding the make up of the country sports industry in Scotland please see the Country Sports Tourism Group (CSTG) Final Report. This report covers everything from the industry background, demographics through to recommendations for action based upon visitor feedback.

Because the country sports industry has such a significant impact in helping sustain rural communities across Scotland the CSTG wants to be addressing:

• Increasing Value for Money

• Improving Product Quality

• Diversifying and Developing Sports

• Increasing Available Information for Visitors

• Improving Intra-Industry Communications

• Developing New Markets

Impact

The Country Sports Industry has the ability to significantly impact on the future development of rural communities across Scotland. The CSTG has been set up to provide better country sports experiences for tourists, and will help in the development of rural communities as it does so.

Potential

The potential to develop both the country sports product in Scotland and the potential visitor market is vast. The industry wants to become increasingly attractive to a much wider audience and be able to promote itself as the "World’s No.1 Country Sports Destination". Visitor trends and preferences are changing and those in the industry know that Scotland has an incredible natural resource and are now wanting to develop the industry for sustainable world class experiences.

Further Information

Download the latest group brochure.