Four out of five people said windfarms would not affect where they take a holiday in the UK, according to a new poll.
The survey for VisitScotland also found that more than half the people surveyed did not agree that turbines spoil the look of the UK or Scottish countryside. The results were hailed as evidence that windfarms will not destroy Scottish tourism, as claimed by developer Donald Trump.
Energy and Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing said the figures proved what was long known – that the “vast majority” of visitors to Scotland do not see windfarms as a problem.
“These figures show that those who speak out against the impact of wind turbines on the landscape do not represent the vast majority of Scots or of potential visitors from within the UK – the vast, but too often silent majority, have said that windfarms simply do not affect their decision-making,” the SNP MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber said.
“This research is borne out by the fact that the most recent tourism statistics show Scotland is growing in popularity with visitors, with a 9% rise in overnight stays.”
While windfarms would not put visitors off, people do not necessarily see them as a good thing.
Meanwhile, almost half of Scots – 46% – said they would be interested in visiting a windfarm development if it had a visitor centre, with 40% of UK respondents having the same opinion.
The survey results were released on the eve of Mr Trump’s appearance before a Scottish Parliament committee inquiry into renewable energy targets.
Liberal Democrat energy spokesman Liam McArthur said: “These figures strongly discredit Mr Trump’s opinions on the presence of windfarms in Scotland.”
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