The Western Isles of Scotland and Tourism in the UK

The tourism industry is continually seeking out new vacation destinations to satisfy the ever increasing demands of the modern tourist however many are also taking a new interest in places which have been popular destinations of the past. The reasons for the decline in the areas popularity with tourist may not be applicable today (such reasons could include such things as wars ending). The Western Isles of Scotland are one of the most fascinating and beautiful places, in the world, which are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of folk taking vacations there.

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 advent of cheap air travel the number of vacation destinations which could be classed as "affordable" increased dramatically while those domestic holiday camps were unable to compete and fell into decline. In the United Kingdom of Great Britain this led to an incredible number of families visiting Europe where they would spend most of their time on the beaches. As some UK tourist areas fell into decline other areas became more accessible to foreign visitors and Scotland began to see an increase in the number of visitors from America, Canada and Europe (with islands such as the Western Isles steadily increasing in popularity).

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).

The islands of the Outer Hebrides have been inhabited by man since prehistoric times. Driving around the islands you will immediately notice the enormous number of single standing stones and small stone circles. The most spectacular prehistoric site is to be found on the Isle of Lewis and is considered one of the most important stone circles in Europe. Just by the village of Calanais (Callanish in English) is a most interesting stone circle with four avenues and a number of satellite stone circles in the surrounding area. Every visitor to the islands should make a point of taking the trip out to see them.

The growth in the Internet has also had an impact in the number of people visiting the Western Isles. Many people now use the Internet to trace their family roots and, as the people from the islands are amongst the most widely traveled in the world, many can trace their families back to Harris, Lewis or one of the other islands (some of which are no longer inhabited). More and more people are visiting the islands to take their research further and to experience the land of the ancestors.

Most probably the main reason why so many people visit the islands of the Hebrides these days is the simple fact that they are far more accessible than they ever were before. Although the Hebrides Isles are still considered difficult to get to the fact that you can now fly to a few places there is vastly different than only a few decades ago when it could take a few days.

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Considering the Outer Hebrides for a vacation. Consider staying in Isle of Lewis bed and breakfast (book online) or bed and breakfast on the Isle of Harris

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