Staycations will boom in the wake of lockdown

More than half of Scots want to head for idyllic places like Fort William and the Isle of Skye once the lockdown restrictions are lifted, rather than bustling cities like Edinburgh.

A survey of attitudes towards post lockdown holidays revealed domestic tourism could be transformed by a surge in the number of people holidaying at home this year.

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According to the survey, a third of people would opt to stay in self-catering accommodation or take their own caravan or tent with them, rather than stay in hotels.

The analysis comes just days after VisitScotland said some rural communities will feel “under threat” and infrastructure will struggle to cope with a sudden surge of visitors.

Just 11 per cent of Scots said they would be too “scared” or “nervous” to go on holiday anywhere when lockdown restrictions ease.

And holidaymakers still said price and value for money were more important factors in deciding on a post-lockdown holiday than hygiene and cleanliness.

However, most Scots say they are planning to head for the countryside and beaches close to their homes rather than try to go abroad.

Around 500 Scots were surveyed this month by research company 56 Degree Insight on where they are planning to go once the lockdown restrictions are eased

According to the research, 53 per cent of Scots want to head to locations like the Isle of Skye, Aviemore, Fort William, Inverness and the North Coast 500 route.

In contrast, just 18 per cent said they wanted to head to Edinburgh for a short break.

A quarter said they would be less likely to stay in a large hotel, with one in five planning to avoid B&Bs, while 23 per cent said they would be more likely to stay with relatives.

The survey found 38 per cent of Scots wanted to head to the “natural outdoors” as soon as they can.

One in three people wanted to do outdoor activities such as hill-walking or mountain biking, and put day trips as more of an initial priority than overnight stays.

More than a third of respondents said they would be less likely to want to eat out on holiday in Scotland, while one in three said they would be less keen to “meet and mix with locals”.

The research stated: “The pandemic has caused Scots to think long and hard about their future travel and the holidays they’ll be seeking when restrictions begin to ease.

“When lockdown restrictions are eased sufficiently to make holidays and breaks a possibility again, for most Scots, the initial desire will be to stay close to home with diminishing appeal to travel further afield.”

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of Visit-Scotland, said: “It is to be expected that during such uncertain and unprecedented times people’s attitudes to travel change.

“We want to work with communities to ensure that visitors and locals can both have a fantastic experience.

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“Our natural resources are hugely important to communities and visitors alike and should be protected.

“However, it’s important we don’t put off potential visitors and remain open and welcoming – as long as the science and rules on social distancing allow it.”