Edinburgh is a very important tourist centre. The value of Scotland’s capital economy is around L100 million more than event managers originally considered it to be. The visitors spent some L1.02bn in Edinburgh last year. The main spenders are visitors of business events in Edinburgh. Nowadays such a visitor spends some L364 a day. In 2001 it was only L210 per day. These figures show that the income from tourism in Edinburgh is rapidly growing. A five-day, 1000-delegate meeting is now worth around L1.82m. According to Sue Stuart, chief executive of the Edinburgh Convention Bureau (ECB), which promotes Edinburgh as a global conference destination, said: "The rise in value of hosting conferences and meetings in Edinburgh reflects not only the increased costs since the last review, but also the strategic choice we have made in the type of event we wish to attract." The focus is on the high value customers. That means promoting conference tourism.
Among the reasons for Edinburgh’s popularity belongs a convenient air transport. Simon Williams, head of The Edinburgh Principal Hotels Association, said: "The huge growth in direct air links to Edinburgh over the last year, the popularity of Edinburgh as a conference destination and events like the fashion festival and the CowParade have all played a major part in the city"s success.”
The grow in number of visitors is positive for businesses throughout the city. According to the Edinburgh Principal Hotels Association claims that hotel occupancy rates were running at record levels. An average of 77.9 per cent of Edinburgh’s 5500 rooms is occupied all the time - the highest figure since records began in 1992.
Another thing that lures visitors is the movie Da Vinci Code that was partly shot here. The “Da Vinci Code’s” tours were hugely advertised around the world. There are other things that attract travelers e.g. The National Galleries of Scotland. The city is also known for many festivals.
