Outlander credited for surge in Culloden battlefield visitors

Visitor numbers went up 21% in 2016

Published 28th Feb 2017

Culloden battlefield saw a big rise in visitor numbers during 2016.

139,691 people went to the visitor centre there last year, a rise of 21%, or nearly 25,000, from 2015.

Tourism bosses are putting it down to interest generated by the Outlander books and TV series.

At sites across Scotland, visits rose for the third year running in 2016, according to figures from the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions.

Almost 30 million visits were made to 249 of its members' sites in Scotland in 2016, a rise of 6% on 2015 figures.

The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh overtook Edinburgh Castle to become the country's most popular attraction.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "It is fantastic that Scottish visitor attractions recorded another successful year in 2016, with almost 30 million visits to some of Scotland's most popular and iconic tourist sites.

"I commend the sterling work of ASVA in creating quality visitor experiences and building Scotland's reputation as a top tourist destination for visitors from around the world.''

ASVA chair Douglas Walker said the figures demonstrated that the visitor attractions sector in Scotland is in "robust health''.