Tourism
Make sure visitors to Scotland have a fantastic experience and spread the word when they go back home.
What impact could you make?
Scotland has a thriving tourism industry. It draws in people from all over the world. Working in tourism gets you actively involved in all kinds of different roles.NaomiTourist Guide, Mercat Tours
Tourism at a glance
There are many great tourism roles in high demand. The industry has the potential to improve relationships between nations. It also creates entertainment opportunities and experiences for tourists.
The work you do could lead to improved happiness, wellbeing and education.
Employment
In 2024, there were around 196,600 people employed in the tourism industry in Scotland.
Job availability
Between 2024 and 2027, it's expected that 41,500 people will be needed to fill job openings in Scotland.
Job diversity
There’s a huge variety of places you could work in, including hotels, campsites, castles, amusement parks and nature reserves.
Choose an adventurous career
We’ve pulled out some of the most popular tourism job profiles for you to explore.
Things you may not know about tourism
In 2023, almost 4 million visits were made to Scotland by international visitors. And tourists spent more than £3.5 billion!
Source: Visit Scotland
UK residents made 12.4 million overnight trips to Scotland in 2023.
Source: Visit Scotland
The National Museum of Scotland was the country's most popular visitor attraction in 2023. It racked up more than 2 million visitors!
Source: Insider
What subjects you could take in school
We've pulled together some examples of subjects and Foundation Apprenticeships (FAs) that could be useful for getting into a tourism career.
English
computing
maths
business
history
modern studies
geography
Foundation Apprenticeship Business Skills
Modern Languages
Leaders in tourism
Discover some of the organisations within tourism and how they’re making an impact on the industry.
Visit Scotland
Visit Scotland can point you in the direction of things to do and provides travel updates across Scotland.
Go to Visit Scotland
Scottish Tourism Alliance
The Scottish Tourism Alliance represents more than 250 organisations within the Scottish tourism industry.
Visit Scottish Tourism Alliance
Springboard UK
Springboard offer employability training programmes, education schemes and careers advice.
Visit Springboard UK
Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA)
The Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions represents more than 240 organisations across Scotland's visitor attractions Sector.
Visit Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions
UK Hospitality Scotland
UK Hospitality is a trade body campaigning for positive change within the industry.
Visit UK Hospitality Scotland
Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) Scotland
HIT Scotland is a charity who offer scholarship programmes to broaden skills and experience within the hospitality industry.
Visit HIT Scotland
The Institute of Hospitality
The Institute of Hospitality is a professional membership body for hospitality professionals around the globe.
Visit The Institute of Hospitality
Historic Environment Scotland tourism careers
Interested in working at magnificent historical places? Find out about exciting careers in heritage tourism in Scotland.
Visit Historic Environment Scotland