Hotels group Jurys Inn lifted by Edinburgh demand

Hotel operator Jurys Inn yesterday reported an 8.5 per cent increase in bookings in Edinburgh as it welcomed a record five million visitors to its establishments across the UK during 2016.

Jurys Inn has been boosted by international visitors and 'staycation' Brits. Picture: Robert Perry

The group, which runs 31 UK hotels, said the Scottish capital had been one of the top preforming destinations, driven by a double-digit rise in domestic tourism as a growing number of Brits opted to take a staycation break.

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Across its locations, the firm also welcomed an increasing number of visitors from Latin America last year with a rise in Argentinian (40 per cent) and Brazilian guests (30 per cent).

According to the latest figures from the group, which is owned and managed by Amaris Hospitality, there was a substantial rise in international tourism throughout the UK, with a 10 per cent like-for-like increase in overseas visitors on the previous year.

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Meanwhile, the staycation trend saw more than half a million Brits choosing to stay at a Jurys Inn hotel between April and May 2016 – up 6 per cent year-on-year.

Jason Carruthers, managing director of Jurys Inn, said: “Overall 2016 was a very good year for UK tourism and we were delighted to have welcomed over five million guests to a Jurys Inn hotel, following our rebranding, renovating and extension programme.

“It was encouraging to see high levels of growth in both domestic and international visitors throughout the whole year, not just the post-Brexit era, and it is a further sign of the increasing strength of the Jurys Inn brand.”

He added: “Overall the UK hospitality and tourism sector has strong fundamentals, is experiencing growth and is well positioned to generate further growth in the coming years.”

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