ABSTRACT
This chapter considers what the impact of tourism was on Scotland. It suggests that the value of tourism, in terms of employment and income, was so significant by the end of the nineteenth century as to allow tourism to rank alongside the recognised staples of the Scottish economy: shipbuilding, coal, fishing and agriculture. There are two parts to tourism where it is possible to find firmer economic ground. The first is sporting tourism, where there is information about rental income, and for employment. The balance sheet of tourism is much easier to calculate in economic than in cultural terms. It is clear that Scotland benefited some parts more than others, from the inflow of tourists and tourist income. Modern statisticians are now able to pronounce on the value of tourism to the Scottish economy: how many visitors there are, how many jobs are dependent on tourism, and what the tourist spends is.
