Distilleries 'boost graduate jobs' - graduate jobs

Whisky centres and distilleries drive up tourism and thereby boost Scottish economy, providing more jobs for graduates who look forward to build a career in the hospitality industry, a new report has said.

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) said more than one million people visited whisky centres and distilleries in Scotland last year, spending almost £27 million.

Visitor centres and distilleries account for 640 direct and indirect jobs and add £30.4 million in value to the economy, the report said.

Whisky helps Scotland stand out on the tourist map, the research said.

Among those who visited the distilleries the past year, 90% came from outside Scotland and nearly two-thirds came from outside the UK, the SWA report found.

"Our survey shows the scale of the economic impact of Scotch whisky and how exports can help drive up tourism," said Campbell Evans, SWA director of government and consumer affairs.

"Spending by tourists, and the jobs created as a result, is injecting new money into the Scottish economy."

Copyright Press Association 2011