Sail & Power Boat cruising report

A newly published Scottish Enterprise report shows that sail and power boat cruising tourism is worth £101 million per year in Scotland and supports a total of just over 2,700 jobs. Of this, £27 million is generated from non-Scottish boat owners supporting 724 jobs, and £53 million is the gross value added to the Scottish economy.

The report is based on new research commissioned by Scottish Enterprise, and is positive about future growth through the next decade. It is the first assessment on sail and power boat tourism of this scale to cover all of Scotland’s boating waters, and points to opportunities both within and outside the dominant Clyde and West coast areas.

It highlights the need for more and better infrastructure. Scotland has over 11,000 resident marina berths and moorings with occupancy of around 95%, and almost 1,700 more are available for visitors, with tourist boat nights approaching 167,000 and growing. The report identifies the potential for around 4,700 new marina berths and moorings by 2019, so the investment opportunities are there.

A survey of sail and power boaters found that the overwhelming majority considered scenery and quality of sailing waters to be the dominant reasons for sailing in Scotland, but also considered more and improved berthing facilities and shore attractions to be desirable. Striking the right balance between yachting services and Scotland’s wilderness anchorages is vital.

This report was commissioned by Scottish Enterprise and conducted by Glasgow based Tourism Research Company, with support from British Marine Federation providing key industry statistics and local market information.

A copy of the report is available here (pdf)

Category: Other Organisations