08-08-2025
The 'Outlander effect': How a time-travel romance transformed Scottish tourism
The impact of Outlander-inspired travel to Scotland has been intense. A 2023 visitor survey by VisitScotland found that 8% of respondents – nearly 700,000 people – were inspired to visit by a TV show, with many citing Outlander specifically as their reason for travelling. A separate 2022 report created in collaboration with the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism at Glasgow Caledonian University, found that filming sites across Scotland saw an average 19% increase in visitors between 2014 and 2022, with some locations seeing extraordinary spikes – Blackness Castle, which doubles as Fort William, has seen visits rise by 379% since the show first aired.
What makes the Outlander Effect so powerful is the kind of travel it inspires. According to Steele, Outlander fans are much more interested in the country's rural, cultural and historical destinations, choosing places like the picturesque village of Culross or the windswept Culloden Battlefield, both of which had prominent roles in the show, over well-known cities like Edinburgh or Glasgow.
"There were actually quite a lot of attractions that had lower footfall, but then once the series showcased that location, the fans were really coming," said Steele. "Some of them [saw an] increase in visitors [that] was absolutely incredible. More than double in some cases."
Of course, this level of popularity presents its own challenges. Many of the featured sites are not equipped to manage a surge in foot traffic. "You have to think about the conservation of it," said Steele. "[Can] this building, which is a really ancient castle or monument or something, sustain the number of visitors? Is it somewhere that's actually manned and people pay a ticket and go in, or is it somewhere that's maybe a little more rural and maybe doesn't have a person attending? We have to be quite careful about that."
Alamy
Still, overall, the Outlander Effect has been embraced by the Scottish tourism industry, with a wide variety of tours, Scottish heritage events and self-guided driving routes now available across the country.
"I have been doing Outlander tours since 2017," said James Kennedy, who offers private full-day Outlander tours via ToursbyLocals. "I was an on-screen Jacobite in season two and being able to show clients pictures of me on set and tell them a few stories about what it was like has certainly made me one of the busier guides."
