Edinburgh over-tourism concerns are real but so is £2.7bn that visitors spend in city

Scotland’s capital has certainly become extraordinarily popular. In 1999, there were 980,000 "staying visits” to Edinburgh; last year there were 2.32 million.

On the plus side, these visitors spend £2.7 billion a year and support 30,000 jobs. On the downside, the rise in Airbnb properties has been blamed for exacerbating the city’s housing crisis, as flats are removed from the rental market and turned into holiday homes. Aditi Jehangir, of the Living Rent tenants’ union, says, “we need a city that works for the people, not just the people passing through,” adding, “Edinburgh’s residents are already angry.”

Such problems, in Edinburgh and elsewhere, helped persuade Scotland’s politicians to pass a law allowing councils to impose a visitor levy or “tourist tax” on hotels and guesthouses. This is done in other cities around the world and the theory is that adding a small amount to tourists’ bills is unlikely to stop them from coming, but will provide funds for cash-strapped councils. If people can see greater benefits from tourism, they may be less annoyed by its downsides.

However, writing today, the leading hotelier Sir Rocco Forte sounds a warning about the negative effects of the tax and calls for a boycott. He says his hotel, the landmark Balmoral, could end up paying £1.3 million a year and that the levy could make Scotland’s tourism industry uncompetitive against rivals in England and elsewhere.

There is a right balance to be struck between the economy and the effects of over-tourism. But, as they try to find it, politicians must take care not to ruin an industry that supports many people’s livelihoods.