Tourism leaders will be tackling key issues arising from Edinburgh’s growth as a visitor destination in February, when they attend the annual Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG) Conference.
The conference, which takes place on Thursday 1 February, is themed ‘Managing Success’, and will centre on the challenges and opportunities brought by Edinburgh’s increasing popularity as a tourist destination for both domestic and international travellers.
Regularly topping global rankings and visitor polls as one of the world’s most visited destinations from the likes of TripAdvisior and Rough Guide readers, Edinburgh now attracts around four million visitors each year, injecting £1.4bn into the local economy.
Robin Worsnop, chair of ETAG said: “The potential future impact of Edinburgh’s growing popularity with visitors has become a hot topic of debate over the last six months. Not all of this has been factually accurate, nor has it taken into account the collaborative work already under-way within the city to ensure that growth is managed and sustainable. Our success should never be taken for granted. As an industry, we are always seeking to create the right balance to ensure the whole city benefits from our visitors, as they help sustain many local businesses, local employment and audiences for our extensive cultural and festival offering.
“This year’s ETAG Conference is stepping up to address the real issues and opportunities facing Edinburgh’s tourism industry in the coming years. It is one of our strongest line-ups to date, offering an incredibly high calibre of speakers.”
Edinburgh Castle is Scotland’s busiest attraction, and in 2017 broke the two million-visitor barrier. The castle’s executive manager, Nick Finnigan, will focus on the castle’s planned strategy to manage success, while maintaining the quality of the visitor experience.
Closing the conference, Peter Jordan, head of insights at international research company, Toposophy, will be revealing the results of an independent report commissioned by Scottish Government, the Scottish Tourism Alliance and Scottish Enterprise on the Impact of the Collaborative Economy on Scotland’s Tourism Industry.
As set out in the Edinburgh 2020 Tourism Strategy, the city is aiming to increase visitor trips by 1.12m and visitor spend to £1.5bn per annum by 2020.
