Coming Home: Ancestral Journeys in Scotland

Watch our new film about how Scotland’s archives support the important ancestral tourism market.

For more information about the film, read the press release here. View a shorter version of the film here.

Ancestral Tourism for Archivists

It is estimated that over 50 million people in the world have Scottish ancestry. This link can be an important motivating factor for tourists to visit Scotland to both undertake family history research and to ‘walk in the footsteps’ of their ancestors. Ancestral tourists tend to stay longer, visit outside of the peak tourist season, visit areas across Scotland and are more likely to develop a connection that results in repeat visits. Ancestral tourism makes a significant contribution to the economy of Scotland and there remains a great deal of potential and opportunity to expand this growth.

Archive services are a unique and incredibly fruitful part of this growing industry, which help to enhance and enrich the experiences of many tourists. The Scottish Council on Archives wish to support archives in the industry to tap into its financial and cultural potential with useful resources including a press contact database, useful links, and case studies demonstrating effective engagement.