Who’s Who?

There is a wide range of public and private sector organisations who can offer support to Edinburgh’s tourism businesses.  Some are national or regional bodies, groups or online initiatives; others operate purely at a local Edinburgh level. The key organisations relevant to Edinburgh businesses are listed below.  If you need advice on who to speak to, contact us at admin@etag.or.uk

• The Business Gateway service delivers business advice to a wide range of small businesses. Primarily web-based, Business Gateway advice and support services are also open to tourism businesses. Individual Business Gateway advisers also refer businesses with high growth potential to the Scottish Enterprise network. Delivery of the Business Gateway business advisory services is tendered every three years, with contracts now overseen by local authorities.
• City of Edinburgh Council Tourism services are delivered through a number of departments. The City Development Department is responsible for economic development, transport and infrastructure and Planning. The Council’s Corporate Department is responsible for Culture and Leisure, which includes the Edinburgh Events Unit, support for the Festivals and management of the council-owned museums, galleries and venues. The Council has overall responsibility for delivering the Business Gateway contract.
• Edinburgh and the Lothians Area Tourism Partnership. Area Tourism Partnerships (ATPs) were set up in 2005 to drive forward local tourism priorities in an integrated way. Each ATP decides the local actions which will contribute to the industry growth ambition, and brings together local players from across the private and public sectors, such as tourism operators, local tourism groups, Chambers of Commerce, Local Authorities and VisitScotland. Within the Edinburgh and Lothians ATP, Tourism Action Plans are drawn up by Edinburgh (via ETAG), East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian.
• Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce is a member-led organisation, working to support the local business community and specifically with its 2,000-strong network of member businesses, including several who are involved directly and indirectly in tourism. The Chamber works to strengthen the position of its members and ensure that the interests of local businesses are heard. Services include networking events and training and skills services, in additional to international trading expertise. The Chamber has an active interest in tourism and is represented within many Edinburgh tourism organisations including Edinburgh Convention Bureau and ETAG.
• Edinburgh Convention Bureau Ltd (ECB) is the lead organisation responsible for marketing and organising Scotland's capital city as a premier conference, incentive and event destination. ECB works closely with its main public sector funding partners, stakeholders and over 130 industry members to ensure a coordinated and focused approach to raising the profile of the city as a conference destination.
• Essential Edinburgh is the name for central Edinburgh’s Business Improvement District. All businesses within the BID area with a rateable value (RV) of over £25K pay a 1% levy to help fund improvements and events, of benefit to tourists as well as residents. Essential Edinburgh manages key public spaces, organises events and services such as guides, street decor and cleanliness, and undertakes various projects to enhance the area.
• ETAG: See ‘About Us’!
• EventScotland is EventScotland is a joint initiative between VisitScotland and the Scottish Government. It is designed to help develop and co-ordinate events, contributing to the dual aims of creating a must-visit destination and gaining economic growth for Scotland. EventScotland is funded by a grant-in-aid through VisitScotland.
• Scottish Development International is a joint SE and Scottish Government venture to assist the growth of the Scottish economy, by encouraging inward investment and helping Scottish-based companies develop international trade. Whilst international business development support for tourism companies tends to be delivered by Visit Scotland and VisitBritain, tourism companies may still come into contact with SDI if, for example, they apply for financial support for attendance at an overseas trade fair under the UKTI (UK Trade and Industry) overseas exhibition programme, as this is administered in Scotland by SDI.
• Scottish Enterprise is Scotland's main economic, enterprise, innovation and investment agency, charged with stimulating the sustainable growth of Scotland’s economy. Tourism is one of SE’s key industry sectors, and SE works to maximise the economic benefit from tourism and to assist tourism businesses to achieve growth from innovation, product development and market development. SE also collaborates with public and private sector partners to develop the tourism business environment in Scotland, including supporting a wide range of tourism initiatives. In addition to a national SE Tourism Team dealing with national strategy and projects, SE has a number of project managers based in Edinburgh whose remit includes tourism. SE also works closely with a small number of high growth or strategically important individual tourism businesses in the Edinburgh area through its Account Manager business advisory services.
• Scottish Government
  
  • Ministerial Departments: Such is the broad nature of ‘tourism’ that within the Scottish Government, aspects of tourism come under more than one ministerial department. Whilst the current structure has a Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, some tourism businesses and organisations will fall within the remit of the Minister for Culture and External Affairs (e.g. Galleries and Festivals), with others falling within the remit of the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (e.g. science based attractions such as Dynamic Earth), or the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change (e.g. Edinburgh Airport).
  • Scottish Government - Officials: Tourism Unit In terms of the ‘Executive’ (i.e. civil servants rather than politicians) the Tourism Unit sits within the Culture, External Affairs and Tourism Directorate and helps to ensure implementation of the government’s tourism strategy.
• Scottish Tourism Forum: STF is an independent trade body comprising trade associations, businesses, marketing and local area tourism groups who earn their living from tourism or have an active interest in tourism. Its purpose is to support the effort to have tourism recognised as Scotland's foremost sustainable industry and unite tourism interests with effective and independent communication and lobbying.
• Springboard Scotland: Springboard UK’s Scottish operation is the leading provider of specialist careers, vocational education and employment services relating to hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism. Springboard’s aim is to be the industry’s natural partner in improving its image, attracting new talent and addressing skills shortages in Scotland. The Springboard team inform, advise, educate, develop and support school pupils, job seekers and those wishing to advance their careers in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism.
• Tourism Intelligence Scotland is an online initiative supported by Scottish Enterprise, HIE and VisitScotland. The project has produced a series of practical online guides, offering a mix of market intelligence, best practice and skills tips for tourism companies. The aim is to help tourism businesses to drive forward innovation through good market intelligence, and to help businesses exceed their customers’ expectations.
• VisitScotland is the national tourism organisation for Scotland, and the lead marketing body. In addition to marketing activities and managing visitScotland.com since 2009, VS runs Scotland’s key quality assurance schemes for all types of accommodation and for visitor attractions, in addition to the EatScotland food quality assurance scheme. VisitScotland offers a Growth Fund scheme to encourage collaborative marketing. VisitScotland works with VisitBritain on overseas marketing initiatives and the two bodies share specialist knowledge and market intelligence in addition to providing support in certain areas of activity, including print production.
• VisitBritain provides key marketing and promotion services for Scotland in international markets, particularly those outside Western Europe. VisitBritain has a network of 27 overseas offices and undertakes trade show promotions, sometimes alongside VisitScotland. As mentioned under VisitScotland, the two organisations share certain areas of activity and market intelligence. Useful information on tourism trends and other market research information can be viewed on VisitBritain’s corporate website.

Other Edinburgh-based collaborative industry groups or associations

• Edinburgh Capital Group is a networking forum of visitor attractions, festivals, arts and tourism organisations in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
• Edinburgh Hotels Association is a membership organisation which includes the majority of 3-5 star hotels in the capital, along with serviced apartments. Formerly known as Edinburgh Principal Hotels, EHA offers promotional services, including a website with online booking. It also collects and shares benchmarking and occupancy data and champions members’ interests.
• Edinburgh Restaurateurs Association is a group of like-minded restaurant proprietors in the Edinburgh area who have formed the Association, primarily for marketing and networking purposed.
• Edinburgh Tourist Guides Association is an independent association of local guides who provide professional guiding services in Edinburgh. ETGA guides are self-employed and are all fully insured. They adhere to a Code of Conduct and Standards of Performance and regularly update their skills and knowledge.
• Festivals Edinburgh was created to look at the strategic development of 12 of Edinburgh’s Festivals. Key aims are to act on behalf of, and represent the collective strengths of these Festivals, to develop and deliver collaborative projects and initiatives which support growth, product development, leadership and audiences, and to help sustain the festivals and Edinburgh and Scotland’s pre-eminence as a world’s leading festival destination.
• Luxury Edinburgh is a collaborative group of Edinburgh’s leading hotels, restaurants, retailers and visitor attractions, working together to offer exceptional, privileged and tailored access to luxury.
• Unique Venues of Edinburgh is made up of 26 members, representing unusual event and hospitality venues in Edinburgh and the Lothians. The consortium aims to compliment the marketing activities currently undertaken by Visit Scotland and the Edinburgh Convention Bureau.

Special project-based groups

• Cruise Edinburgh is a marketing group that was established to promote Edinburgh as a transit or turnaround destination to the cruise line industry. It aims to build on Edinburgh's credentials as a marquee destination in Northern Europe.
• Green Tourism Business Scheme - The GTBS is the national sustainable tourism certification scheme for the UK. Originally developed in partnership with Visit Scotland, it is now the only certification scheme validated by Visit Britain, through the International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT).