Edinburgh's tourism strengths

Visitors

Around 4m visitors a year, a third from overseas, inject almost £2 billion into Edinburgh City Region's economy annually and account for 14m bed nights.

The city region accounts for one fifth of all expenditure by UK and overseas tourists in Scotland. Occupancy levels in Edinburgh, averaging 75%, and average room rates, at more than £80, are among the best in the UK and internationally.

Festivals

Edinburgh is the world's festival capital, with 13 international festivals and a host of other major events throughout the year. They include the Edinburgh International Science Festival, International Film Festival, International Book Festival, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Edinburgh's Hogmanay and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world.

Attractions

Half of Scotland's top visitor attractions are in Edinburgh City Region. Edinburgh Castle is consistently the most popular paid-for attraction, drawing more than 1m visitors a year. The Scottish Parliament, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh Zoo, and the Royal Botanic Garden are also favourites, alongside city region attractions such as Stirling Castle, the Falkirk Wheel and East Lothian's Museum of Flight.

Business tourism

Edinburgh is the UK's most favoured city outside London for holding international conferences. Business tourism generates around £300m a year for the city region. Corporate bookings represent more than a fifth of demand across the city region compared to 14% in Scotland as a whole. Business tourism continues to be a growing market – especially for the medical, life science and technology sectors.

Investment

Major investment in Edinburgh's cultural infrastructure is enhancing the city's international reputation as a tourism capital. Projects include the £46m expansion of the National Museums of Scotland, the £18m refurbishment of the National Portrait Gallery, the £30m redevelopment of the Usher Hall and the £12m redevelopment of the Assembly Rooms. The National Galleries of Scotland were also recently renovated and extended in a flagship £30m project.