Johnnie Walker Princes Street marks one million milestone with visitors toasting positive impact on Scottish tourism

“World’s Leading Spirit Tourism Experience1” has hosted over 1M guests from over 141 countries

80% of visitors note a positive influence on Scottish tourism

21 October 2024 EDINBURGH: Johnnie Walker Princes Street, the World’s Leading Spirit Tourism Experience 1, is celebrating a massive milestone this week, having now welcomed over 1 million visitors from 141 countries just three years since opening its doors.

The venue leverages AI powered personalisation technology to help guests discover their personal flavour profile, which is then used to tailor their experience on Johnnie Walker Princes Street’s signature “Journey of Flavour”. To date, the experience has collected the flavour profiles of over 100,000 guests, an invaluable resource for product development3. The experience seeks to inspire visitors to explore the wider world of Scotch Whisky as it relates to their own personal tastes, breaking down barriers including those around how the drink should be enjoyed by focusing on cocktail culture, serving almost 700K highballs and cocktails alone since opening.

Johnnie Walker Princes Street serves as a key destination within Scotland's vibrant food and drink landscape, attracting visitors eager to immerse themselves in local culture. According to the Scotland Visitor Survey 2023, nearly half (46%) of visitors to the country engage in food and drink activities during their stay, with 26% visiting a whisky, gin distillery or brewery, and 21% visiting a whisky distillery.

The venue’s formula has proved a successful one, with Johnnie Walker Princes Street garnering an impressive “Net Promoter Score”, a trusted metric for measuring customer experience, of 854, and 91% of visitors’ perception of Johnnie Walker improving post visit using “brand conversion” tracking5. The nearly 50/50 male and female gender split6 is a particular point of pride.

Dafydd Pugh Williams, Managing Director of Diageo’s Scotland Brand Homes added: “Johnnie Walker Princes Street was launched to recruit consumers from around the world to Johnnie Walker and indeed the entire Scotch Whisky category.

“We wanted to disrupt consumer perceptions of whisky through offering a pioneering experience which demonstrated the huge breadth of flavours with the category, the incredible history of Johnnie Walker and champion the people and communities which have helped make the brand a global icon.

“We could not be prouder of the venue’s hugely dedicated team who have made such an impact on so many guests in just three short years. We’d like to thank our colleagues in the Scotch Whisky Association and VisitScotland for their continued support as we work together to showcase Scotch, and Scotland, to the world. Most excitingly we feel like we’re just getting started and there is plenty more growth to come as we Keep Walking.”

Guests from Australia to Zimbabwe and everywhere in between have passed through the venue’s doors since September 2021. With 24% of guests visiting from countries with high spend per head like the US 7 and 80% of visitors noting Johnnie Walker Princes Street’s place in supporting the growth of Scottish Tourism 2.

Vicki Miller, Chief Executive at VisitScotland, said: “This is an amazing achievement by Johnnie Walker Princes Street. It is a testament to the investment and confidence of Diageo in creating a luxury visitor experience in the centre of the city, and the staff, whose work has maintained its popularity.

“Scotch whisky is a unique part of our cultural heritage and as such is hugely important to what makes Scotland a must-visit destination. Our own research shows that a quarter of all visitors to Scotland take in a whisky, gin or brewery experience.

“Since opening in 2021, Johnnie Walker Princes Street has become an essential attraction while complementing the burgeoning food and drink experiences across the city. Its popularity will no doubt have helped support the successful post-pandemic recovery of international tourism.”

Mark Kent, Chief Executive at the Scotch Whisky Association said: "We're delighted to see the continued growth of Scotch Whisky visitor centres and Scotch-centred tourism.

“From rural communities to our urban centres, Scotch Whisky is an anchor for economic growth, with visitor centres like Johnnie Walker Princes Street provide a perfect entry point to discover Scotland's food and drink, landscapes and history.

“People from all over the world visit Scotland to see how their favourite dram is made, and these world-class visitor attractions ensure they go home taking a little of the spirit of Scotland with them.”

More details about stats can be found on the Johnnie Walker website