‘I don’t even drink whisky’: Scotland reels in visitors as much of Europe swelters

Tourists throng Edinburgh’s Royal Mile during the festival. VisitBritain figures show a 15% rise in flight bookings to Scottish airports in June and July. Photograph: Athanasios Gioumpasis/Getty Images

For the tourist industry, 2026 has been a rocky year, with war, EU border delays, climate and economic woes gnawing away at holiday plans. But while much of Britain is feeling the loss of visitors from the Middle East and beyond, one part is thriving.

Scotland is reeling in ever more visitors, with strong annual growth and a 15% rise in flight bookings to Scottish airports in June and July, compared with a drop in bookings to London and the rest of England in recent months, according to VisitBritain figures.