The traditional short-term self-catering sector is essential to Edinburgh’s incredible tourism offering, a new report has found.
According to the new piece of research, Far More Than Just Houses, the traditional short-term rental sector generates £723million of economic activity in Scotland annually – with much of it concentrated in the Capital.
The new document, compiled by Frontline Research on behalf of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC), found that self-catering trips accounted for an incredible 36 per cent of all tourist visits to Edinburgh and the Lothians in 2016/17, meaning that city’s vital tourism sector relies heavily on the sector to provide visitors with accommodation during their stay.
With its many festivals, tourist attractions, famous food and drink industry, and other attractions bringing huge numbers of visitors to Edinburgh, professional short-term rental operators form an integral part of the city’s one-of-a-kind tourism offering and make it possible for the city to be a world leader in attracting guests from around the world.
If Edinburgh is to make the most of its incredible offering to tourists, the findings in More Than Just Houses suggest that its political leaders should work with the short-term rental sector to maximise its potential and that of the city as a whole.
ASSC Chief Executive, Fiona Campbell, said: “We know that Edinburgh is an incredible city that attracts people from across the world to come here.
“We also know that when they do, they need somewhere to stay and we in the traditional short-term rental market stand ready to provide them with exactly that.
“Rather than working to over-regulate our sector, we, backed by the findings in this excellent report, urge Edinburgh and Scotland’s political leadership to work with us to help make the Capital’s tourism offer the best it can be.
“The traditional self-catering sector stands ready to serve Edinburgh and we hope that ‘Far More Than Just Houses’ will encourage others to join us.”
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