Capital proves it's the place to be as visitor numbers rise

Published on Tuesday 29 December 2009 09:46

TOURIST attractions in the Capital are expected to see visitor numbers increase on last year after favourable exchange rates and the growth in "staycation" domestic holidays provided an unexpected economy boost.

It is estimated that 65 of Edinburgh and the Lothians' leading visitor attractions will be visited by significantly more people this year than last year.

The full-year performance is expected to be up by at least 3 per cent on last year after the tourism sector escaped the worst of the economic downturn.

Hotel and guest house occupancy has also enjoyed a year-on-year increase in Edinburgh at a time when most major European cities have suffered decline.

Among the attractions to do well is Edinburgh Castle, which remains the Capital's most popular visitor attraction and saw visitor numbers rise by 6.9 per cent in the year to the end of October.

Bosses at Historic Scotland said today that they expected to exceed last year's performance, when 1.1 million people visited.

Across Edinburgh and the Lothians, provisional visitor numbers at the 65 top attractions were up 4.2 per cent in the ten months to the end of October, at 7.5 million, according to VisitScotland's latest Scottish Visitor Attraction Barometer.

Although finalised figures will not be released until April, tourism bosses hope that they will be three per cent ahead for the full year. Councillor Tom Buchanan, the city's economic development leader, said: "As has been recognised in a number of recent surveys, Edinburgh is considered to be one of the must-see cities in the world and, encouragingly, these figures confirm that, despite challenging economic conditions, we are still able to attract high visitor numbers."

Figures towards the end of the year are expected to be boosted by a new "Winter White Explorer Pass" being run by Historic Scotland in a bid to encourage people to enjoy its attractions.

Sinead Feltoe, regional director for VisitScotland, said: "The visitor attraction barometer figures are good news for Edinburgh and the Lothians, and it's encouraging to see this, particularly in light of the ongoing financial climate."

Barbara Smith, head of visitor services at Edinburgh Castle, said: "This has been a fantastic year in terms of visitor numbers.

"Factors such as the strength of the euro, the development of the airport and, of course, the Year of Homecoming 2009 – in which we were a partner and provided a number of very successful themed events and activities – have helped drive visitor numbers.

"Meanwhile, we have continued to invest in our facilities."