The value of visitor activity in West Lothian approached £300 million in the year to March, driven by a mix of high street footfall and screen-driven tourism. Council documents and local reporting attribute much of the growth to the popularity of Livingston’s shopping centre and filming locations used by the television series Outlander.
Retail remains the biggest draw
Livingston’s shopping centre stood out as the principal generator of visits. The centre attracted an estimated 15 million visits in 2025, a scale that dwarfs attendance at heritage sites by several orders of magnitude and underpins a significant share of retail and hospitality spending in the county.
Heritage and screen tourism still matter
Historic attractions also contributed, with Linlithgow Palace — renowned as the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots and used as a location for Outlander — recording visitor figures of 85,342 in 2025. Council commentary suggested a modest rise to around 88,700 in the year to March 2026 would be a reasonable estimate, representing a continuing upward trend.
- Livingston shopping centre: 15,000,000 visits (2025)
- Linlithgow Palace: 85,342 visits (2025); estimated c. 88,700 (year to March 2026)
- Economic contribution: nearly £300 million to West Lothian’s economy (year to March)
“You cannot compare the two. Visitors to Linlithgow Palace in 2025 were 85,342. That was a 4% increase on the previous year so with that assumption in mind, in the year to March 26 a figure of 88,700 would be reasonable.”
That comment, made by a local councillor, reflects a wider local debate over how visitor numbers are presented. Council papers referenced aggregate county visitor numbers without differentiating between tourist visits to historic attractions and repeat visits by shoppers, a distinction that has prompted concern among some residents and elected representatives.
Implications for planning and services
The contrast between one-off heritage visits and frequent retail footfall matters for public services and planning. High volumes of repeat shoppers have different impacts on transport, car parking, town centre management and waste services compared with the pattern associated with cultural tourism. Local leaders will need to balance investment and marketing strategies to sustain both retail vitality and the conservation and promotion of historic sites.
| Attraction | Visits (2025) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Livingston shopping centre | 15,000,000 | Retail footfall; primary contributor to visitor economy |
| Linlithgow Palace | 85,342 | Historic site; filmed for Outlander; est. c. 88,700 to March 2026 |
As West Lothian approaches an annual visitor-generated value close to £300m, the council and local businesses face choices about where to focus marketing, infrastructure and conservation efforts. The differing character of visitor demand — between repeat retail trips and cultural tourists — will be central to those decisions.
