Sam Heughan doesn’t think Scotland has capitalised on ‘Outlander tourism’
The actor said that he believed Scotland has been "late" to acknowledge the "Outlander effect" on Scottish tourism
Outlander star Sam Heughan has suggested that Scotland has failed to fully capitalising on the so-called "Outlander effect," which has seen a huge boost to Scottish tourism.
Heughan, who plays Scottish soldier Jamie Fraser in the time-travelling series, told RadioTimes.com that while he believed many Scots have now recognised the show's impact, "they're maybe a little late to it".
Asked whether he thought Scottish people were proud of the show, he said: "I think they are. I think Scotland was actually kind of unaware of what's been happening here for many years, I think we were under the radar a little bit. I think finally they've realised, I think Scottish tourism has obviously risen dramatically.
"Doune Castle, that played Castle Leoch [home to the Mackenzie clan in the show], was up 600 per cent in their tourism numbers, there's so many now unofficial Outlander tours, there's vast tourism here, so I think people are really realising and the Scottish government as well. But they're maybe a little late to it, but it's certainly doing great things for Scotland."
Last year it was revealed that Scotland had experienced a major tourism boom since Outlander began, with the number of visitors flocking to attractions featured in the TV series soaring by 67 per cent since 2013.
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Outlander author Diana Gabaldon, whose books inspired the Starz TV show, even received an award for services to Scottish tourism following the findings, published by VisitScotland.
Outlander season 5 is set to air on Starz from Sunday 16th February, with each episode airing on Amazon Prime in the UK the day after its US release
