Heritage body backs calls to spread festivals
● Move comes weeks after body warns over too many tourists
Edinburgh World Heritage has backed calls for the city’s festivals to be spread out to balance the needs of residents and businesses.
The charity – which recently warned Edinburgh is “suffering the same fate” as Venice because of the volume of visitors – wants the city to experiment with staging events at different times.
Edinburgh MP Tommy Sheppard this week called on the city council to instigate a “big think”.
The body responsible for protecting Edinburgh’s world heritage site has thrown its weight behind the idea of the city’s festivals being spread out – weeks after it warned the city is at risk of being over-run with tourists.
Edinburgh World Heritage wants the city to conduct an experiment of staging its major events at different times to ensure the capital properly balances the needs of local residents and businesses.
It believes Edinburgh’s main tourism season could be extended if the move is introduced as part of an agreed plan for protecting the historic heart of the city.
Theconservationcharityhas drawn comparisons between Edinburgh, which hosts most of its festivals in August, and Genoa, which decided to spread its events throughout the year as part of a new strategy for the Italian city.
Edinburgh World Heritage sparked controversy last month by saying the city needed to take action to avoid it “suffering the same fate” as Venice, which it described as a “hollow museum shell”. At the time, it said work needed to be done “to better understand the capacity limits of our fragile, historic city.”
It has backed the suggestion of “stretching out” the festivals from June through to September to ease congestion in the city centre, help visitors find accommodation and allow more locals to attend events, which has been put forward by Edinburgh MP Tommy Sheppard.
He has called for a “big think” to be instigated by the city council and has urged the
Festival crowds watch a performer on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh authority to “take a lead” on the debate.
Adam Wilkinson, director of Edinburgh World Heritage, said: “If changes are made and they don’t work out, you can always move them back.
“Our colleagues in Genoa made a point of spreading their main cultural events across the year as part of their overall tourism plan with the clear objective of lengthening the tourism season.
“Piecemeal changes without a clear plan agreed across the city (including its residents) would, however, be illogical. I think these ideas are worth exploring as part of a wider, coordinated approach to the visitor economy of the city, and understanding what will be best for the city as a whole, balancing the needs of residents and the needs of the businesses that sustain the city’s wider economy.”
Edinburgh World Heritage, the city council, Visitscotland, Marketing Edinburgh and the Edinburgh Hotels Association are all represented on the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG).
Its most recent strategy, published last year, wants that a “failure” to address the large variation of visitors numbers between the peak season and the shoulder months in Edinburgh was one of the biggest barriers to further growth and to increasing the sustainability of the tourism sector.” The 2020 industry blueprint
“If changes are made and they don’t work out, you can always move them back”
also states: “The popularity of Edinburgh’s core Old and New Town area is creating increasing challenges as visitor numbers grow, resulting in a high density of visitors during peak periods. There is a danger that this will start to impact of the quality of the visitor experience and create friction between the local residents and the tourism sector, as well as limiting growth due to capacity issues.”
Mr Wilkinson added: “There is an enormous challenge for the city council at the moment at this time of year.
“They have all the responsibilities for infrastructure, but don’t get any financial benefit from the festivals being here, from what I can tell. It ends up with local residents and businesses footing the bill for the clean-up and everything else.”
Manuela Calchini, regional director of Visitscotland, said: “While some interesting points have been raised regarding changes to dates, the simultaneous nature of the festivals in August is what helps to create an atmosphere that cannot be matched anywhere in the world.
“With an amazing array of actors, comedians, authors, singers, dancers, street performers, and musicians descending upon it, it is a truly special time for Scotland’s capital.”
John Donnelly, chief executive of Marketing Edinburgh, said: “Every August, Edinburgh transforms into the world’s festival city, a vibrant melee, bursting with atmosphere and showcasing the very best in arts, culture and comedy.
“Edinburgh’s festivals are a signature global event that the city is proud and lucky have each year. While the festivals are a huge draw for visitors, they are not the only reason why tourist choose this time of year to come explore the city.
“Across the UK and beyond, August is the peak time that people enjoy their annual holidays. Given that the city’s historic appeal is by far the number one reason visitors give for choosing Edinburgh as a destination, followed by our attractions, I’m not convinced extended the festivals across the summer would have a significant impact.”