Festival factor

In response to Brian Ferguson's report (23 March) – "Edinburgh Castle voted city's trump card as only one in ten visitors lured by Festival" – I'd like to offer some balance and context as the article does not present the full picture.

The article reported that only 11 per cent of visitors to Edinburgh cited the festivals as a reason to visit. However, it is crucial to realise this is an interim winter report, meaning that the figures quoted represent October 2009 to January 2010 only – a small sample of a so-far incomplete 12 month-long survey. Given that the majority of festivals take place outwith this time period, the findings were completely in line with our expectations. This means that, to name just a few, the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh Military Tattoo are not reflected in the statistics used by Mr Ferguson.

The significance and importance of our festivals needs to be recognised; recent years have shown encouraging growth in ticket sales and critical reception. Total attendances across all of Edinburgh's Festivals now exceed 4 million people per annum.

To appreciate Edinburgh's strengths, you need to consider our complete package.

We plan to report on the full survey in October 2010.

ALAN JOHNSTON

Destination Edinburgh Marketing Alliance

Edinburgh