Tourist numbers: 'We must not be complacent about city's attractions'

The fact that Edinburgh continues to attract more foreign visitors than anywhere else in the UK apart from London is not surprising, but it is a useful reminder of all the great things that our city has to offer to visitors and residents alike.

There is also the not-so-small matter of the 1.3 million overseas visitors spending 485m here last year to consider. It is almost impossible to overstress the significance to the Capital of an industry which employs around 30,000 people - almost one in ten of the workforce - and overall generates 1.7 billion a year.

Yet, as Edinburgh Airport's outgoing managing director Gordon Dewar points out on this page, there are risks in being complacent about the city's many and varied attractions.

As the UK and world economies emerge from their current trough, there will be winners and losers. No city will escape the pain of swingeing public sector cuts, but there will also be opportunities for those that are able to respond to them.

Over the coming days the News will be looking at what the future holds for Edinburgh and how we should approach it.

There will be tough decisions to be taken about public spending in the Lothians and it is right that there is public debate about how police, council and health services are reshaped.

We also remain exceptional performers in many fields - including tourism and life sciences, as well as financial services, despite the events of recent years - and these industries in particular make us well placed to come out of this crisis in as strong a position as ever.

The crucial debate about how best to ensure we do just that will come to life in the pages of this newspaper this week.

Ghostly goings-on?

THE strange face in the background of photographs we publish today from Mary King's Close will be scrutinised by sceptics and ghosthunters alike.

We don't know if they are proof of the supernatural, simply show a fan making multiple visits - or, despite denials, if they are a cheeky bit of "guerilla marketing".

But if you do pop into the Close, look out for a blonde woman who gleams a bit in the dark. And if she asks you for the time the next tram leaves, get out of there fast.