Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the contribution to UK tourism of the Scotch whisky industry’s investment in distilleries and visitor centres.

The Scottish Whisky industry is recognised the world over for its high quality and, according to VisitBritain, whisky is the top food and drink item associated with the UK in France, Germany, China and Japan.

A recent survey by the Scotch Whisky Association, suggests that 2018 saw a record of more than 2m visitors to distilleries, an increase of more than 50% since 2010. This survey also shows that in 2018 visitor spending increased by more than 12% on 2017’s figures to over £68m.

VisitBritain(VB) work to promote the UK as a tourist destination, and have used Scotch whisky to promote Scotland in particular. VB regularly host educational trips which include distilleries across Scotland, host several distilleries at their flagship promotional event ExploreGB and offer Whisky tours through the VB online shop. In addition to this, VB work in partnership with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for International Trade to create food and drink hubs across the UK which encourage visitors to try our produce and commission research into food and drink as a draw for tourists.