Business tourism helps Edinburgh through downturn

The impact of the global recession on Scotland’s capital city has been lessened thanks to an increase in the number of business people travelling to the destination for meetings and events.

The value of conferences, which attract high-spending business delegates to Edinburgh, is expected to beat its predicted target of £73.9 million set by the Edinburgh Convention Bureau (ECB).

The latest figures released by the ECB show that 21 new events have been confirmed for the city over the last two months.

The meetings, which will be held between February and August of this year, are expected to deliver £4.7 million for the local economy and attract up to 3,790 delegates.

This brings the total number of events won during the current financial year for the city with ECB involvement to 214.

The total economic impact of the 214 conferences, with 50,930 delegates attending, is calculated at £65.7million. 
 
“These new confirmed bookings, won at a time of the year when the industry is normally quiet, are excellent news,” said ECB chief executive Sue Stuart. “I now expect us to exceed our £73.9 million target for new business this year by at least £400,000.

“That is very welcome news in the current economic climate when we are slowly moving out of the longest recession in half a century. It also confirms that Edinburgh continues to offer value for money, high quality facilities and a welcoming environment in a highly competitive global market place.”