Edinburgh's tourism workforce

One in ten workers in Edinburgh - more than 30,000 people – are employed in tourism. Across the wider Edinburgh City Region, the industry supports double this number of jobs.

Edinburgh's reputation as a dynamic and cosmopolitan capital attracts workers and students from around the world.

A number of higher and further education institutions across the city region including Stevenson College, Queen Margaret University, the Scottish Agricultural College and Napier University offer tourism related courses and qualifications such as HND, GNVQ, BA (Hons), MBAs and full PhD programmes.

Attracting new talent and developing skills in the industry is also a key focus of public and private sector partners such as Skills Development Scotland, VisitScotland and the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group.

Labour productivity in the Lothians tourism sector averages £24,300 per person, 10% ahead of the Scottish average.