The Edinburgh attraction broadens its translation guides to cater to a global audience with over 70% of visitors travelling from overseas.
The Scotch Whisky Experience has expanded its tour offerings to 21 languages and invested in enhanced translation guides, positioning the iconic Royal Mile venue as one of the world’s most globally welcoming whisky destinations.
Built around the ethos of “helping the world to fall in love with Scotch whisky”, the venue has steadily expanded its language capabilities from just six languages when it opened in 1988 to 21 today. The attraction has released new dataset insights showing how multilingual storytelling is opening Scottish heritage to an increasingly diverse global audience.
With more than 70% of its guests arriving from outside the UK, the venue caters to visitors from every corner of the world. While long established international markets lead overall attendance, with the United States representing 24% of guests, followed by France at 7%, and Germany and the Netherlands at 4% each, the data shows a strong surge in demand for Czech, Hindi, and both European and Brazilian Portuguese. Vietnamese is the newest language introduced at The Scotch Whisky Experience and has already seen immediate traction among incoming tour groups.
Angela Dineen, Operations Director at The Scotch Whisky Experience, said: “People do not expect to hear the story of Scotch whisky in their own language, and when they do, it changes the whole visit. Some of the biggest reactions come from our Swedish and Dutch visitors, who tend to have excellent English and simply assume we would not have thought of them.
“Every language we add tells you something about who is coming to Scotland and why. Brazilian Portuguese is a good example because our collection was gathered by Claive Vidiz in Brazil, so there’s a great connection there for anyone coming from Brazil.”
VisitScotland’s 2026 travel trends report highlighted a rise of ‘Scran Seekers’¹, travellers whose primary motivation is discovering local food and drink. By providing full translations across 21 languages, the attraction ensures international visitors can fully immerse themselves in the story of Scotland’s national drink.
Additionally, to support the Deaf community and hard of hearing visitors, the venue partnered with Deaf Action to create British Sign Language (BSL) and American Sign Language (ASL) digital guides, and more recently also added International Sign.
All 21 language options, digital sign language guides, and accessibility features are provided free of charge on handheld devices supplied on site, ensuring every visitor can switch off their personal devices and experience Scotland’s whisky story in their own language.
Learn more about The Scotch Whisky Experience at: The Scotch Whisky Experience
