In the never ending search for interesting vacation destination tourists continue to open up new areas to tourism. However there are plenty of highly fascinating areas of the world that have always had a small degree of tourism which more and more people are now discovering to their delight. Also there are a number of vacation destination which were in decline but are now experiencing renewed interest. One of the most interesting places in the world which is seeing a marked increase in tourism are the Western Isles of Scotland.

In the very early days of tourism people went to great lengths to travel to destinations which had very different reasons for their appeal. However, in general, it could be said that these early destinations became popular for such reasons as their outstanding beauty, educational reasons, being a great place for social networking or for just being a great place to enjoy yourself. Such reasons made sense during the times of the Grand Tour of Europe.

As the working classes began to take time off to visit places they usually did so in large numbers to somewhere very local (when their factory or workplace would close for the duration of the vacation). This led to an increase in the number of vacation destinations within easy access of industrial areas. During the 1950s and 60s a number of holiday camps opened in more picturesque places aimed at the domestic market but many people began to look at more exotic destinations. Those people with more money were able to afford to travel to many more places and destinations such as St Kilda in the Western Isles of Scotland became interesting places to visit for small numbers of folk.

With the advent of cheap air travel the number of vacation destinations which could be classed as "affordable" increased dramatically while those domestic holiday camps were unable to compete and fell into decline. In the United Kingdom of Great Britain this led to an incredible number of families visiting Europe where they would spend most of their time on the beaches. As some UK tourist areas fell into decline other areas became more accessible to foreign visitors and Scotland began to see an increase in the number of visitors from America, Canada and Europe (with islands such as the Western Isles steadily increasing in popularity).

Today the tourism industry is extremely diverse but, maybe due to the increased knowledge of the dangers of over exposure to the sun, there seems to be a decreased interest in typical beach vacations and an almost corresponding increase in the number of people visiting inland destinations or other destinations which offer something unique. People are visiting the UK city of Liverpool in more numbers than ever before. Although this is, in part, due to the city being the European Capital of Culture this year it is also true that the steady increase means that it is now an important part of the local economy of that city.

The Western Isles of Scotland (mentioned above) are a small group of islands just off the Scottish west coast. Although there are over two hundred Isles only thirteen are still inhabited. These islands are amongst the most unique in Europe with unique landscapes, flora and fauna and it is for their uniqueness that many visitors choose to tour the islands.

The group of islands are also known as the Outer Hebrides and this, sometimes, causes some confusion for visitors, it is even confusing for the islands' inhabitants. The islands (such as the Isle of Harris, Isle of Lewis, North and South Uist, Barra and Benbecula) have, as their main language, Gaelic (pronounced "Galick") which, although it has the same roots as other forms of Gaelic, is very different to the Irish Gaelic (pronounced "Gaylick"). The culture of the Outer Hebrides is a mix of Celtic and Norse with a major aspect being Gaelic and the region is regarded as the Gaelic heartland.

The Outer Hebrides have a long and fascinating history which goes back to prehistoric times. All over the islands can be seen evidence of their long gone inhabitants with the most spectacular, and most widely known, sites are the Standing Stones of Calanais. Once know as the Callanish Standing Stones they are now known in the Gaelic as are all place names. Happily the sign posts are in the Gaelic first but feature an English translation below.

Another reason why the Western Isles are becoming increasingly popular as a vacation destination is the incredible increase in interest in genealogy (tracing your family roots and ancestors). Life has always been hard in the Hebrides and for generations many young men and young families emigrated, to America, Canada and other places, in search of a better life of opportunity. During a period known as the clearances massive numbers of Scots were forcefully removed from their land and sent abroad and this means that a great many people return to the islands in search of their roots.

Most probably the main reason why so many people visit the islands of the Hebrides these days is the simple fact that they are far more accessible than they ever were before. Although the Hebrides Isles are still considered difficult to get to the fact that you can now fly to a few places there is vastly different than only a few decades ago when it could take a few days.