Four in ten Scots believe that English tourists should not currently be allowed to travel into Scotland, a YouGov poll has found.

The poll – which asked 1,134 Scots their view on tourists entering from other countries without needing to quarantine – reported 47% of Scots quizzed support English tourists being able to enter the country without a period of isolation.

The research also revealed significant discrepancy along political lines when Scots were asked whether they support or oppose allowing tourists into the country.

More than half (54%) of SNP voters surveyed said they do not want English tourists to be able cross the border, compared to 37% of Scottish Labour voters and 19% of those who voted for the Scottish Conservatives at the 2019 election.

Just over a third (34%) of SNP voters support the current system of allowing English tourists in without requiring them to quarantine as opposed to 49% of Labour voters and 65% of Tory voters.

Independence-supporting Yes voters from 2014 oppose letting in English tourists by 52% to 36% while No voters support allowing English tourists into Scotland by 55% to 30%.

The poll was carried out a week after Scottish independence campaigners staged a protest at the border calling for people from England to be banned from entering or to impose a mandatory quarantine period.

Scots are less likely to object to visitors from other parts of the UK, with 29% opposed to people coming from  Wales and 28% of respondents wanting to block tourists from Northern Ireland. In contrast, 56% support allowing unrestricted access to Scotland from the two countries.

Support for tourists from the Republic of Ireland also outweighs opposition, by 53% to 31%.

Visitors from further afield are less welcome, the survey suggests, with more opposition than support for allowing unrestricted travel for Danish, Swedish, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese and American tourists.

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(You Gov/PA)

Just 10% support allowing American tourists into Scotland without having to quarantine, contrasted with 81% against the idea.

Welsh people are slightly more willing than Scots to accept travellers from the rest of the British Isles, with 37% wanting English tourists to stay away compared to 50% who would welcome them.

The 1,021 Welsh respondents also favour Scottish, Northern Irish and Irish tourists being able to visit without quarantine measures by 58% to 28%, 53% to 30% and 50% to 32% respectively.

Opinions also differ by political persuasion in Wales, with 54% of Plaid Cymru voters opposed to English travellers compared with 44% of Labour voters and 24% of Tory voters.

A total of 37% of Plaid Cymru voters from 2019 support allowing unquarantined travel into Wales, 44% of Labour supporters and 65% of people who voted Conservative.

The survey also looked at whether Scots and Welsh people would be willing to cross any borders – internal and international – for a summer holiday this year.

(You Gov/PA)
(You Gov/PA)

Few Scots would consider going to England (36%) or Wales (32%) on holiday this year.

Welsh people are more willing to cross nearby borders: 49% are open to going to England and 43% might travel up to Scotland.

Both are unlikely to go to Ireland or Northern Ireland, with approximately a quarter saying they would consider crossing the Irish Sea.

Willingness to travel further afield plummets by comparison. Among both national groups, only 10% and 12% respectively would be willing to visit any of the countries in continental Europe that YouGov asked about.

China and the US are even less appealing: just 5% of Scots and 6% of Welsh people would consider going to America. Asked about travel to China, the figures fall to 2% and 3% respectively.