UKinbound has urged Edinburgh City Council to reconsider proposed budget cuts to the city’s destination marketing management organisation (DMO) – Marketing Edinburgh.
UKinbound understands that the council is planning to remove over £500k from Marketing Edinburgh, which would leave Scotland’s capital as the only major city in the developed world without a DMO, which includes Edinburgh’s Convention Bureau.
UKinbound’s chief executive officer Joss Croft comments: “We understand that Edinburgh City Council is proposing to make substantial cuts to Marketing Edinburgh’s budget. Edinburgh is a fantastic destination with a wealth of tourism product but there are many destinations and cities all around the world that are competing for international leisure visitors and lucrative events business. Today, it is the 2nd most visited city in the UK by overseas visitors and this proposed cut puts that at risk. At a time when the UK needs to be outward facing and establishing new trade partnerships – leaving the city without a DMO would undoubtedly hurt the city’s economy.”
John Donnelly, chief executive of Marketing Edinburgh has written an open letter to supporters about the cuts and a copy is available to read here.
