EDINBURGH 2020 sets out three core objectives for the Edinburgh tourism sector to deliver on, each critical to creating job opportunities, generating further inward investment and maintaining Edinburgh’s standing as an internationally leading destination, namely:

·        Increase the number of visits and visitors by one third by 2020, representing 4.39 million visitors per annum in 2020 compared to 3.37million in 2010

·         Increase the value of visitor spend by 38%,  up from £1015 million in 2010 to £1404 million in 2020

·         Reduce seasonality across the sector by generating an additional 150,000 trips and 318,000 visitor nights, resulting in an additional spend of £33 million per annum, between the months of November to March, by 2020.

Over the last two decades the volume and value of tourism in the capital have grown dramatically. In 2010, visitor spending was a staggering £1 billion per annum, compared to £250 million in 1990. Employment in tourism now accounts for about 12% of the city’s workforce, no less than 32,000 individuals, with the potential to create a further 6500 new jobs by 2020.  You can download EDINBURGH 2020 here.