Record numbers flock to Edinburgh castle

Published on Wednesday 10 August 2011 14:34

The country's top tourist attraction has set a new record by pulling over 200,000 visitors last month.

Edinburgh Castle sold 203,940 tickets in July this year, up 19 per cent on the same month in 2010 and the highest number of visitors since records began.

Tuesday July 19 was the castle's busiest day when 8,128 people visited, the first time in three years that over 8,000 came in one day.

The success spilled into August. The first week of this month saw 47,443 visitors, up 10 per cent on the same week last year.

The castle, which hosts the Edinburgh Military Tattoo until August 27, has been shortlisted in the best UK heritage attraction category by the British Travel Awards.

Culture and External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "This is very welcome news. Edinburgh Castle is a global icon, as well as Scotland's number one tourist attraction, and it continues to draw increasing numbers of visitors from around the world.

"Our heritage assets have a very important part to play in Scotland's economy and it is even more impressive that this is happening in a continuing challenging economic climate.

"With the Edinburgh Festival and the Edinburgh Tattoo in full swing, Edinburgh is a hub of cultural activity and a fascinating city to explore all year round."

Nick Finnigan, executive manager at Edinburgh Castle, said: "We are very pleased to see that our travel trade products, such as explorer pass tickets, have increased by 90 per cent. Web ticket sales have grown by 65 per cent and trade business is up by 45 per cent. We have also seen growth in Lothian Bus ticket visitors, Royal Edinburgh ticket holders and Scottish Heritage pass users.

"Our summer programme which started in July, with daily costumed performances giving a taste of different parts of our fascinating history, has proved very popular with visitors. The performances are entertaining as well as educational and are great fun for children and adults alike."