Tour group crackdown ‘could cause worse damage’ at kirk
A crackdown on big groups visiting Greyfriars cemetery would “make damage worse”, according to local tour guides.
It follows proposals for a cap on group numbers amid claims big commercial operators who bring in dozens of visitors in groups several times a day are “trashing” the cemetery.
One independent Edinburgh guide has called for bigger groups to be charged more per head to bring in extra cash to cover the cost of repairs, along with restrictions on group sizes to protect the hugely popular cemetery which attracts around two million visitors a year, making it the third most visited freeentry attraction in Scotland.
But a group of more than 50 guides has hit back at the proposals as “drastic”, warning that many guides are smaller independent operators who could be forced out if group sizes are restricted.
The Edinburgh Tour Guides Association (ETGA) argues charging an extra gate fee to help pay for repairs would lead to “unintended consequences”, as it could see more tourists going into the kirkyard without a guide.
Fraser Horn, a self-employed tour guide in the Old Town for several years, said: “Because a lot of tourists really want to see the Kirkyard, you’d just end up with guides avoiding a drastic hike in costs by finishing their tour near the Kirkyard. Then tourists would go unsupervised. It’s the worst of both worlds, the council loses permit fees and the Kirkyard loses its main stewards.
“I care about the Kirkyard as much as any other local. I’ve lived round here most of my life and I love the history of the place. It’s my dream job, showing people around my hometown. I care about protecting these historic spaces, and as a guide I ensure that visitors are properly informed and supervised – kept on the paths, kept off the gravestones and kept out of others’ way.”
All tour groups pay a yearly £150 permit fee while individual guides pay £120, which the council has proposed to raise by £15. Since the scheme was introduced in July last year, a total of 321 registrations have been issued to 225 tour companies and 96 individual tour guides, raising £45,000.
A council spokesperson said uptake of the registration scheme was good and there is “no sign that the number of guides has dropped”. But the ETGA worries that smaller guides could be put off by higher fees and group number restrictions.