Responsible tourism in Scotland
Our Scotland Holidays
Orkney & Shetland self drive holiday, Scotland
Island hop the wild Scottish Northern Isles on this week's holiday to Orkney and Shetland
Scotland by railway holiday
Experience authentic Scotland independently and car-free
Wildlife holiday in the Isle of Mull, Scotland
Spot whales, otters and eagles on Isle of Mull, Scotland
Isle of Mull and Small Isles explorer
An extraordinary voyage exploring Mull & the Small Isles.
Scotland guided rail tour, Skye & Glencoe
Visit Scottish castles and beautiful gardens by train
Orkney Islands walking holiday
Rugged and remote islands with a fascinating history.
The Cairngorms wildlife holiday in Scotland
A wildlife camping experience in Scotland without the hassle
West Highlands guided rail tour in Scotland
Discover Scotland's Highlands & distinctive islands by train
Scotland island hopping holiday, car free
Explore three contrasting Scottish islands car-free
Hebrides cruise, The Sounds of Mull, Luing, Shuna and Jura
Cruise the Sounds of the Hebrides: Mull, Luing, Jura, Shuna
West Highland Line railway holiday in Scotland
Take the "The World's Best Rail Journey" to the Isle of Skye
Mull wildlife holiday in Scotland
Ultimate week of wildlife spotting on the Isle of Mull
St Kilda and the Outer Hebrides cruise, Scotland
Scottish Cruise to St Kilda and the Outer Hebrides
Scotland West Coast cruise, Skye and the small isles
Scottish Holiday to Skye and the Small Isles | Cruise
Loch Ness & Skye guided rail tour, Scotland
Discover Scotland’s Highlands & Isle of Skye by Rail
Rail tour in North Highlands & Orkney
Scotland’s geographic extremities & ancient history by train
Whisky and wildlife sailing holiday in Scotland
Malt Whisky and Wildlife Cruise to Mull, Jura and Islay
Caledonian Canal cruise, Scotland
Cruise the Caledonian Canal in a wee ship
Inner Hebrides Wildlife Cruise
A great introduction to the breath-taking Scottish Highlands
Outer Hebrides and Shiant Isles cruise, Scotland
A magical cruise wandering through the Outer Hebrides
St Kilda, Outer Hebrides Cruise, Scotland
Cruise to St Kilda, Monachs, Outer Hebrides and Small Isles
Lands End To John O'Groats cycling trip
Britain's classic cycling challenge
Skye and the Small Isles sailing holiday
Sail Scotland's Small Isles and visit spectacular Skye
Southern Hebrides and Sea Lochs of Argyll cruise
A Scottish cruise to the islands of the Inner Hebrides
Hebrides short break cruise, Scotland
Scottish small cruise with a Taste of the Hebrides
Knoydart bunkhouse accommodation, Scotland
Friendly West Highland bunkhouse on the Knoydart peninsula
Scottish traditional cruise, 4 days
Short break cruise in Argyll on the west coast of Scotland
Art cruise in Scotland
Scottish Island cruises perfect for relaxing and painting.
Scottish Hebrides guided wildlife tour
On this cruise you will be accompanied by a wildlife guide
Tour of Britain by train
Explore England and Scotland's cities & landscapes by train.
Overtourism hotspots
Responsible Travel’s founder and CEO, Justin Francis, in Scotland’s Sunday Herald:“Visit Scotland should cease marketing any destination that’s exhibiting signs of overtourism with immediate effect. On Visit Scotland's Skye page there is no information about how busy it is in peak season, how to avoid the crowds, or any tips about how to minimise impacts on local residents. This is not how a responsible tourist board should be communicating to visitors.”
Although overtourism in cities like Venice and Barcelona has been regularly hitting the headlines, Scotland also has some serious issues when it comes to Caledonian crowds. One of the worst hit areas is the Isle of Skye, where growing giant cruise ship numbers are most definitely rocking the boat. With sometimes two or three cruise ships in a weekend, carrying up to 2,000 passengers, this island with a population of just over 10,000 people is far from bonny in certain parts.
It is important to point out, however, that Skye is a big island and you can travel to many parts of it without being affected by mass tourism. This is great for responsible tourists who travel with companies that take them off the beaten track or on small ship cruises to remote coves. However, this is not so great for local people who can’t access their homes because of coach traffic jams on tiny roads, or who have to put ‘no entry’ signs on their gates to stop tourists barging through their gardens. It’s also not ideal for tourists who have seen images of quaint ports on travel websites, only to be greeted by a deluge of disembarking daytrippers.
What you can do
It is easy to plan a trip to Scotland that stays clear of the large crowds, taking a railway holiday or a small ship cruise to many of the other islands, for example. Do also read our Overtourism tips for travellers, for more ideas on how to avoid the crush.
If you are in the hotspots and feel that tourism is being mismanaged, don’t hesitate to take photos and share them on social media, including #Scotland or #VisitScotland as hashtags. When travellers start complaining about their holidays being spoiled by overtourism, tourist boards start to listen. Sadly, they are very slow to listen when local people shout out about it, so – join their cause.
Oh deer
There are various issues when it comes to deer. The fundamental conflict is between those who are managing estates and deer herds for conservation reasons, and those who do so for sporting reasons. Shooting weekends and all that. The latter want to keep up the number of deer so that they can maximize the number of people coming to shoot, which includes feeding them in winter to keep the wild herds thriving because there isn’t enough forage in the hills. At the same time, just a few miles away, an estate manager is minimizing the number of deer for conservation reasons, to let the natural habitats come through which support other wildlife. It will take some time and reeducation to show the sporting tourism sector, which is very important to Scottish tourism, that it is possible to gain a happy natural balance, and reach mutual agreements when it comes to deer management plans. But at the moment, successful cooperation on this front is rare and there are no statutory requirements to produce sustainable deer management plans at present.One way of showing that natural management procedures work best is by allowing other forms of tourism to thrive. For example shooting with cameras instead and diversifying into other forms of tourism, such as photography and wildlife watching. If hunting tourism is your thing, you need to enquire about their conservation policies as some do so purely for conservation reasons, such as the Glenfeshie and Corrour Estates, but they are few and far between. But awareness is growing, slowly but surely.
Another vital issue for tourists who keep their shooting to that of a photographic nature, is to take all the necessary precautions on the hills during stalking season, from 1st July to 20th October, with a hind season until 15 February. The Heading for the Scottish Hills website is invaluable for keeping you up to date on what the various estates are doing and when with detailed maps and regularly updated information. This is a time when cooperation between hikers and stalkers is vital. Land managers will give all the information you require, but often at short notice, so always inform yourself before walking during this period. And stick to three other rules: read and adhere to any warning signs to follow a different path; do not cross land where stalking is taking place and avoid wild camping where stalking is planned for the next day.
"We have a big issue with too many deer preventing the natural regeneration of our native forests and woodlands in Scotland – eat venison! You will be doing the environment a big favour!"
Charity climbs
Charity climbs have long been a contributor to localised overtourism in Scotland. From overnight climbs to conquering the Three Peaks in a heartbeat, the slopes of Ben Nevis, Scotland’s highest mountain, get quite a bashing. What is unknown to many is that this is not National Park, and does not have the management structure to oversee these events which bring people in their thousands. Nor is there ready funding available when paths are trampled and destroyed. Even though the lower half of Ben Nevis is owned by the multinational Rio Tinto Alcan, which runs a hydro-powered aluminium smelter from the mountain’s rainwater, the upper half is owned by the John Muir Trust, the world renowned wild land conservation charity. It is rare for an event organizer to have an environmental policy or, indeed, to contribute towards the maintenance of the land they are running all over. There is an argument that they bring tourism money to the area, but many climbers swoop in and back out again in 24 hours, so this is not always the case.The Institute of Fundraising has created a Code of Practice for such events, which give excellent guidelines regarding what your event organiser should and should not be doing. Such as avoiding weekends, staggering start times, and informing all land owners. But as Ben Nevis is managed by volunteers, this is hard to police.
Support and donate to local charities such as the world renowned John Muir Trust, one of the greatest lobbyists for the protection of wild spaces, as well as being owners of the summit of Ben Nevis. They run various campaigns but at the moment they are focused on a Path Maintenance Appeal.
Responsible tourism tips
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