Business leaders warn Edinburgh city centre is at risk of dying ‘ a slow death'
Edinburgh is being warned that its city centre is at growing risk of "dying a slow death" due to complacency over the future of its festivals, cultural venues, hospitality businesses and international tourism.
Business leaders have called for efforts to secure the “beati ng heart” of the cit y to be stepped up after key sectors were “ravaged” by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic since March.
They have warned that Edinburgh is already experiencing the fastest growth of unemployment of any area in Scotland, with the number of people claiming benefits soaring 200 per cent since the start of the pandemic, to more than 19,000.
E d i n b u r g h C h a mb e r o f Commerce has predicted that it could take cornerstones of the cit y’s economy, such as tourism, hospitality, events and retail, at least three years to return to pre- coronavirus levels.
Chief executive Liz Mcareavey has warned that other sectors which have performed better during the pandemic, such as financial services and technology, now face the prospect of long- term decline if the quality of life on offer in the city in modern times is lost. However, Ms Mcareavey said: “Edinburgh city centre is now a very different place.“July and August this year saw a drop in footfall in the city centre of two million each month, hotel occupancy fell by 50 per cent and is forecast to be as low as 11 per cent in November. Many hotels remain closed since last March and unlikely to open again until the spring of 2021. It is likely that pre- covid levels will not return until 2023..
"We have to take a long- term view that the city will recover, but we cannot be complacent and watch the city centre, the beating heart of Edinburgh, die a slow death because we have been careless with our valuable assets.”
Garry Clark, development director at the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “In r ecent years, much of t he debate on tourism in Edin
burgh has revolved around the perception of ‘ over- touri sm’ but t his year we have seen that the reality of ‘ undert o u r i s m’ i s much wo r s e .
" Christina Sinclair, director of Edinburgh World Heritage, said: “Edinburgh’s long- term success as a destination will depend on valuing and con
serving our cultural heritage, as well as strengthening local communities.”