(TAN): The Edinburgh city centre is facing a danger of “slow death” after key sectors were “ravaged” by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic since March, The Scotsman reported citing the business leaders of the country. They have called for efforts to secure the “beating heart” of the city to be stepped up.
According to media reports, Edinburgh is experiencing the fastest growth of unemployment of any area in Scotland, with the number of people claiming benefits soaring 200% since the start of the pandemic. According to the prediction of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, the cornerstones of the city’s economy such as tourism, hospitality, events and retail, could take at least three years to return to pre-pandemic levels.
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Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce CEO Liz McAreavey said, “Edinburgh city centre is now a very different place. Because of coronavirus, it has missed its summer festivals, the high energy culture and the buzz that made it the most visited city outside London with the second highest hotel occupancy levels in the UK.”
McAreavey added July and August this year saw a drop in footfall in the city centre of 2 million each month whereas hotel occupancy fell by 50%. Many hotels remain closed till date and are unlikely to open again until the spring of 2021.
According to McAreavey, a new tourism strategy for the city, commits the industry to shift “from driving growth to managing growth,” was flawed because it does not focus on the active promotion of the city.
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There had been growing tensions between tourism bodies and heritage groups over the impact of growing numbers of tourists throughout the year, new hotel developments and annual festivals such as the Fringe and the city’s Christmas and Hogmanay festivals. The city was last year named one of the world’s major hotspots for “overtourism,” alongside Venice, Barcelona and Amsterdam.
“In recent years, much of the debate on tourism in Edinburgh has revolved around the perception of ‘over-tourism’ but this year we have seen that the reality of ‘under-tourism’ is much worse.
According to Clark, it is time for Scotland to chalk out a strategy to attract large number of tourists and make them thrive in harmony with local residents, particularly in the Old Town and Edinburgh city centre.
