Tourist trade tops £1bn in the capital

A huge jump in the number of British visitors to the capital has helped push up the city’s income from tourists, day-trippers and "business tourists" - or conference-goers - to record levels.

Figures released yesterday show visitors spent an estimated 1.02 billion in Edinburgh last year, compared with 900 million in the previous year.

Industry experts predict that record will be beaten again this year, thanks to the growing success of Edinburgh’s summer festivals and spin-offs from staging the MTV Europe Music Awards earlier this month.

One of the biggest money-makers for the capital has been the extra half a million British visitors the city has entertained. Residents from across the UK made more than 3.53 million trips to the city in 2002, compared with 3.1 million the previous year. They spent an average of 210 each last year, making a total income for the city of 754 million, compared with 660 million in 2001.

Although the number of overseas visitors remained static at 850,000, the amount they spent rose from an average of 290 to 310. The total income generated from visitors from abroad rose by 25 million to 269 million.

The research, released by Edinburgh and Lothians Tourist Board, showed that the city’s tourism industry is in better shape now than before the double blow of the foot-and-mouth outbreak and the 11 September terror attacks on the United States in 2001. It also confirmed Edinburgh’s position as the gateway to Scotland for foreign visitors.

More than half of all overseas tourism visits to Scotland included an overnight stay in Edinburgh. Overseas expenditure in the city is around a third of the total foreign visitor spend in Scotland.

Tourism managers have welcomed the figures as proof their marketing campaigns and strategy of luring more business visitors had been a success.

Donald Wilson, the chairman of the tourist board, said: "These figures show that even as early as last year, tourism in the city was showing signs of recovery after the double blows of foot-and-mouth disease and 11 September, which was undoubtedly a difficult year for the industry.

"The challenge now is to ensure that we continue to build on the progress of 2002 and what could turn out to be our best ever year for tourism in Edinburgh."

Ian Perry, the economic development leader on City of Edinburgh Council, said: "I’m very confident 2003 will be one of Edinburgh’s best ever years for tourism. The city has enjoyed special events like the MTV Awards in Leith and the Royal Variety Performance, which help boost the economy even further."

The study also revealed that tourism is now worth about 1.08 billion to the entire Edinburgh and Lothians area. In the previous year, tourism was worth an estimated 1.01 billion for the Lothians.

The research, compiled from a range of tourism studies, shows that Edinburgh Castle retained its place as the city’s top tourism attraction, with visitor numbers jumping from 1.12 million to 1.53 million last year.

Earlier this month, it emerged that the lucrative business travel market is emerging as an area of future growth for the Scottish tourism industry, with much of it in the Central Belt.

Figures released by VisitScotland, the tourism agency, showed the business sector spend increasing dramatically - now accounting for one third of all money spent by visitors to Scotland.

Edinburgh is the ninth most popular conference destination in the world, according to the International Congress and Convention Association.