Edinburgh ‘tourist tat wasteland’
● Author calls for action to bring tourism industry ‘under control’
Edinburgh is at risk of becoming a “vulgar wasteland of tourist tat shops, big hotels and nothing much else”, according to best-selling author Alexander Mccall Smith.
The writer called on councillors to “bring tourism under control”, stop “filling the centre of the city with hotels” and halt the growth in flats let out as holiday apartments.
Best-selling author Alexander Mccall Smith has warned the heart of Edinburgh risks turning into a “vulgar wasteland of tourist tat shops, big hotels and nothing much else”.
Urgent action is needed to “bring tourism under control” and ensure ordinary families are able to live there, he said.
The writer has called for the city council to stop “filling the centre of the city with hotels” and take steps to halt a growth in the number of flats being let out as holiday apartments.
He has also called for the city to steps to “save” the Royal Mile by banning the hanging of “tartan tat” goods on the pavements.
He has spoken out days after tourism industry leaders were warned the growth of tourism in Edinburgh is being held back by a lack of ambition, too much complacency and claims that the city has become over-run by visitors.
Marketing Edinburgh has said tourism is “under-rated and can be unloved” – but insists the city cannot afford to give the impression it is “full” or wants to “turn away visitors”. Heritage watchdogs have warned that the city is in danger of being over-run with tourists, claiming “commercial over-exploitation” threatened its “authenticity”.
Mccall Smith said: “We need to stop filling the centre of the city with hotels. We need to build new hotels on the periphery and not in the Old Town (or the New Town, for that matter). Hotels push houses out. Hotels take over premises that could be used for offices and shops.
“Hotels are fine, but cities shouldn’t be made up exclusively of hotels. Why would people come to a city full of hotels? To see other hotels? People come to Edinburgh to see a real place, with small streets and small shops, and ordinary people going about their business.
“We must keep tourism under control because, if we don’t, by 2050 Edinburgh will be a vulgar wasteland of tourist tat shops, big hotels, and nothing much else. We need to keep communities alive in the Old Town. We need to seek ways of making it possible for ordinary families to continue to live in town.
“That will require serious thinking by the authorities. We will need to ensure Airbnb establishments don’t take over the place. In some cities the threat that this poses is now recognised and acted upon.”
His comments were made as part of the Edinburgh City Vision project exploring what the city might be like in 2050.
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, Frank Ross, said: “Our aim is to engage with all citizens, gather as many ideas as possible and create a vision that will guide Edinburgh into 2050 and beyond.”