Tourism isn’t bad in itself, the problem is numbers and quality of what’s on offer

The letter from Gordon Robertson, Chairman of Marketing Edinburgh (22 December) was full of fine words but it conspicuously failed to address the pressing questions raised by Alexander Mccall Smith and others about the level and quality of tourism in the capital.

Instead of responding to the present-day and very real concerns of citizens in tenements where half or more of the flats are let on a short-term basis to strangers who have no com- punction about leaving litter or creating noise, Mr Robertson offered vacuous phrases about strategy and vision and joining the dots between 2020 and 2050. And while he reminded us that tourism brings Edinburgh a considerable amount of money and employs many people, he forgot to mention that much of the “tartan tat” which fills shops catering to tourists is manufactured abroad. Nor did he add that many of those working in those shops, hotels and restaurants are themselves transient, with no roots in Scotland, far less Edinburgh, and often with little understanding of the culture they are theoretically promoting.

Whatever the problems facing Edinburgh, we are in a luckier position than elsewhere in Scotland or worldwide as the mania for mass travel gathers pace. Unlike Skye, Dubrovnik or Venice, we have not reached the stage where visitors make it near impossible for locals to go about their daily business. The paradox of tourism is that the more unique and attractive a place is, the more people visit it and the less unique and attractive it becomes, as it morphs into nothing more than a background for selfies.

Fifty years ago we saw plastics as a miracle invention that brought us only benefits. Now we see how quickly plastics are destroying our environment. I suspect it will be only one or two decades before we wake up to the destructive nature – social, cultural and environmental – of mass tourism. Will Gordon Robertson be around to help clear up the mess?

MARTIN FOREMAN Craigend Park, Edinburgh

In response to Alexander Mccall Smith’s “Warning city is becoming a vulgar wasteland” (Scotsman, 21 December), Gordon Robertson sounds sincere as he advocates balancing the growth of Edinburgh and ensuring it is sustainable. I hope he is, as this will be of comfort to inhabitants and repeat visitors who are now asking what is happening to Edinburgh, George Scott Moncrieff’s “Mine own Romantic Town”.

Though told in jest there is the story of visitors emerging from Waverley station and seeing a bit of a walk to the Castle questioning ,“Gee, couldn’t they have built the Castle nearer to the railway station”!

ALTHEA DUNDAS Arniston House, Gorebridge