The Western Isles Of Scotland And Tourism In The UK

More and more areas of the world, which had previously been difficult to access to did not allow visitors, are becoming popular with tourists. The is also renewed interest in vacation destinations which were once popular in the distant past (the reasons for such renewed interest could be the resolution of war or something similar). The Western Isles of Scotland are one of the most unique places in the world today which are seeing increased numbers of tourists visiting each year.

In the very early days of tourism people went to great lengths to travel to destinations which had very different reasons for their appeal. However, in general, it could be said that these early destinations became popular for such reasons as their outstanding beauty, educational reasons, being a great place for social networking or for just being a great place to enjoy yourself. Such reasons made sense during the times of the Grand Tour of Europe.

In the United Kingdom, during the early days of the tourist industry, people generally tended to visit places not too far from where they lived or worked. Working men and women often had only the annual works outing to look forward to, which was attended by all of the employees while their work place was closed. Those of more means were able to venture further and some even went as far as traveling to the islands of St Kilda in the Western Isles of Scotland.

With the development of air travel, and its steady decrease in cost and increase in wages, many British families were now able to afford to take European vacations. Instead of taking the family to the likes of Pontins and Butlins holiday camps in the UK, families now visited beaches in Spain, the South of France and the Mediterranean. Alternatively visitors from abroad started to visit the UK and many chose to visit places with unique aspects such as the Western Isles of Scotland, which started to become extremely popular with American and Canadian visitors as a vacation destination.

Modern tourists seem to fall into two distinct groups, the typical 18-30 party animals, who go in search of the sun but end up in the bars, and those who now understand the dangers of overexposure to the sun and are in search of something a little different to the usual beach and bar vacation. UK cities seem to have increasing numbers of visitors with the like of Liverpool, which is benefiting this year with being the European Capital of Culture, being one of the most vibrant city vacation destinations.

Of all the islands around the United Kingdom some of the most fascinating are to be found amongst the Western Isles of Scotland. These remote islands, found off the west coast of Scotland, are home to many unique species of flora and fauna, many of which are endangered, all set in the most astounding scenery in Scotland, the United Kingdom and, probably, Europe.

Also known to many as the Outer Hebrides the group, of over 200 islands, has a few which are inhabited and well known. The Isles of Harris, Lewis, North and South Uist, Barra and Benbecula are the most well known and most popular with tourists but there are several other small inhabited islands such as Scalpay which have some interesting aspects for the visitor, not least the incredible Gaelic culture (which has Celtic and Norse influences).

Prehistoric man has left his distinctive mark upon the islands, of the Outer Hebrides, in the form of numerous standing stones and stone circles of varying sizes. The largest stone circle is to be found at Calanais (Callanish) on the Isle of Lewis. The standing stones at Calanais are generally considered to be amongst the most important sites in Europe and they are the only example of a stone circle with avenues (forming the shape of a crucifix). Calanais is a “must see” tourist attraction.

Genealogy is another factor in the recent increases in tourism to the UK, Scotland and the Western Isles. The Scottish people are amongst the most widely traveled peoples in the world and the Hebrideans are amongst the most widely traveled in Scotland. This has resulted in a massive number of people from all around the world being able to trace their roots back to the islands. Will increases in the interest in genealogy many people are choosing to travel to the Outer Hebrides to research their family trees.

There are many reasons why more and more folk are choosing to visit places that were once inaccessible. However the simple fact that they are now easily accessed by road or air (and sometimes rail) is the main reason that there are now a great many people visiting such places. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that places like the Western Isles/Outer Hebrides have not yet been commercialized that makes them such a popular vacation destination but for how long they remain unchanged is uncertain.