2. Introduction
Transporting Scotland's Trade 2019 Edition
2. Introduction
This report provides a summary of Scotland's key exports and imports and how they are transported from, into and within Scotland, alongside an overview of some of Scotland's key transport hubs and trading partners.
This edition provides updates to the data contained in the first edition of this report and also looks in more detail at some of Scotland's main transport gateways and corridors. A key component that was not extensively explored in the previous publication, namely rail freight, is also included in this edition.
This edition includes updated maps, graphs, and tables to highlight the monetary value, tonnage, origins and destinations of Scotland's imports, exports and freight. It also illustrates the change in relative importance of some goods to the Scottish economy, over time.
This edition contains the following updated sections:
- Trade – This edition uses data from HMRC's Regional Trade Statistics for Scotland for the calendar year 2018[10] and comments on changes from the previous year and the series back to 2013[11]. It highlights Scotland's top imports and exports, and their origins and destinations.
- Tourism - This is a key industry for the Scottish economy and one of Scotland's six Growth Sectors. This edition expands on last year's publication by analysing International Passenger Survey data to show the country of origin of visitors, as well as which visitors spend the most and stay the longest in Scotland. This edition will look at how the top countries of origin for visitors have changed since 2002. It also provides an overview of the modes used by tourists to travel to and from Scotland.
- Freight - Rail freight is explored in more detail in this edition. Information on how freight is carried both to and from Scotland by the various modes is provided, along with more detail on the countries this freight moves to, which may differ from the countries highlighted in the trade sections.
- Transport Links – This edition provides greater insight into important transport hubs for Scottish businesses, such as airports, sea ports and logistics terminals, as well as more information on the potential logistics of goods travelling between Scotland and these key trade destinations.
This edition draws on data at a Scottish level[12] from a variety of sources, however some of the Department for Transport (DfT) and Office of Road and Rail (ORR) datasets cannot be disaggregated down to a Scottish level, and therefore some gaps in data over time do occur. The report will also identifies Scotland's most significant trade markets, alongside their key transport gateways and corridors, helping to inform the necessary policy tools to ensure Scotland's transport network is fit for purpose.