Tourism in Edinburgh (Spring/Summer 2009)
Tourism in Edinburgh is bucking the trend as more visitors take
advantage of the great opportunities available in the city.
Guided by the ETAG Resilience Plan and the development of
Destination Edinburgh Marketing Alliance (DEMA), tourism could be
the industry that leads the city out of recession.
Statistics for April 2009 show a rise of 6% in hotel
occupancy to 78%, whilst all other cities in the UK outside London
suffered a steep decline (Source PKF). Equally
impressive was a rise of 18% in room occupancy for Guest Houses and
B&Bs (TNS Occupancy Survey)
Further positive news comes from a recent Travelodge
survey which highlighted Edinburgh as being one of
the top 3 destinations for 2009, expecting a 19% increase in
visitor numbers compared with 2008.
The improvement continued in May. Edinburgh was the only
BAA airport to record a passenger growth in May. Airport
numbers rose 1.4% against a company wide decline of 7.3%. One
of Edinburgh's top attractions, Edinburgh Castle, welcomed
230,000 visitors in April and May a 10% increase on 2008.
Part of this success for Spring 2009 was driven by the
successful events programme for the month of May. The rugby
events saw c.60,000 attend the Magic Weekend over the 2 days
and the Heineken Cup was a sell out c.67,000. DEMA
sponsored a VisitScotland “information bus”. This branded
double-decker is now touring the major events around Scotland
providing visitor information and proudly displaying the Inspiring
Capital brand messages. Plus a record number of guests
attended the Taste of Edinburgh event in Inverleith Park.
Business Tourism
Edinburgh’s reputation as a global centre for business tourism has
been strengthened by the announcement that the capital has leapt
from 36th to 28th place in the latest world rankings as a
destination for international conferences. The annual rankings are
produced by the International Congress and Convention Association
(ICCA). This most recent report places Edinburgh second only to
London in terms of UK cities hosting international association
meetings.
The Edinburgh Convention Bureau (ECB) funded by DEMA
estimates that business tourism contributes approximately £300
million to the economy of Edinburgh and the Lothians each year
(spend per night by business visitors is 80% higher than that of
leisure visitors). The economic value of confirmed conferences won
or influenced by the ECB for the city during the last financial
year was £73.5 million.
For more information contact: frances.spencer@edinburghbrand.com
