How will Edinburgh bounce back from coronavirus crisis?

Talks already under way to plot recovery

How will Edinburgh bounce back from coronavirus crisis?

EDINBURGH will need to come together as a city and have a bumper year next year to recover from the coronavirus lockdown, business leaders have said.

Talks are already taking place on how the Capital, where tourism plays such a big part in the economy, can plot a path to recovery from the shutdown of hotels, shops, restaurants and attractions.

But it is still unclear how long it will be before restrictions are lifted or eased and when life might begin to return to normal.

Liz McAreavey, chief executive of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, said: “The problem is no one really knows how long this is going to last.

“At the moment we’re trying to support businesses through the confusion and the crisis. But very quickly we will start looking at what recovery looks like. We will need to look at what the city is going to look like in terms of tourism, retail and so on.

“And it’s not just the 500,000 citizens, it’s the 4.9 million visitors who come here each year. If that’s going to be cut back everyone is going to feel the ripple effect.

“We’ve got to start growing the economy again. We’ve got to start planning for the future and think how we message and promote ourselves as a city.”

She said trust and confidence were the cornerstones of customer loyalty. “So we need to make sure as a city we are delivering that trust and confidence so we can get the economy through this and stronger out the other side.”

Ms McAreavey predicted a slow recovery in international travel but pointed out half of Edinburgh’s visitors come from within the UK.

“There is a real opportunity to attract visitors once people are able to move again. Instead of people going off to other countries, how do we make sure visitors come to Edinburgh? I think there is real opportunity and I don’t think we should be too downhearted - but we do have to come together as a city to achieve it.”

Council leader Adam McVey said the priority right now was the health of Edinburgh’s citizens, but he was confident the city’s economy would recover.

“We’ve been having discussions with employers in the city throughout Covid-19 to make sure we can put any help in place we can.”

The city’s economic advisory panel had met last week to start discussions on what actions were needed.

“It’s crucial that we listen to the voices of business across sectors in our Capital to help inform our plans.

“Edinburgh’s economy was strong prior to this crisis and I’m confident we’ll be able to return to that position.

“There will be a huge task to help some of the most affected industries and I’ll be meeting industry leaders in the coming weeks to make sure their needs are taken account of in our discussions with Government and other agencies. Next week I’ll be specifically be meeting tourism leaders to discuss how we can reestablish Edinburgh’s offer when we are able to do so.”

Garry Clark of the Federation of Small Businesses said uncertainty made planning difficult, but there were clear challenges.

“Looking at the retail side we have major delays to the St James development, which is going to be a major part of how the centre of Edinburgh operates. And we’ve also had the tram works come to a halt, which will prolong the difficulties businesses are facing in and around Leith for the foreseeable future.

“For the tourism sector, the questions are when do we begin to get back to normal And what will travel patterns look like, whether it’s this Christmas and New Year period, if we’re back up and running by that point, or into 2021?

“Edinburgh has to have its best ever year next year - but planning for that is very difficult given the uncertainty we’re all facing.

“Edinburgh is a very unique city - it does rely very heavily on visitors, not just from across the UK but internationally, and we just don’t know what that picture will look like in six months or a year’s time.

“The airport has ground to a halt at the moment. It needs to get back up and running very quickly.. But can the airlines survive this? Will people want to travel abroad in the same numbers in future?

“Edinburgh gets a lot of visitors from cruise ships - what is going to be the impact on the cruise ship market?

“Edinburgh has a big marketing job to do - and next year all the stops need to be pulled out to get Ediinburgh back up and running and get people back into the city.

“Businesses need a bumper year next year to be able to get back up and running properly.

Mr Clark said it would be wrong to be too pessimistic. “Edinburgh will re-emerge from this - the question is how strongly we can re-emerge.

“If we can get people moving again by the Christmas and New Year period, what a New Year Edinburgh could host, putting this horrible year behind us and looking forward to a far more positive 2021, getting the Festival back up and running - a celebration of Edinburgh. That’s the kind of positivity and enthusiasm we need to see.”

One of Edinburgh’s best-known tourism businesses, Mercat Tours, called a halt to its tours on March 17 and most of its 76 staff are on furlough. Managing director Kat Brogan said: “This is a massive destabilising threat to everybody. But as a city it’s also an opportunity where we can bring together employers and sectors across the city to work together

“It’s an opportunity to reflect on what are we, what is the spirit and soul of Edinburgh, what do we want everyone else in the world to know us to be.

“Right now it’s too soon to talk about recovery, too soon to think about it because everyone is quite stressed and under pressure. I think two weeks and we can begin to pull sectors and business leaders and decision makers together.”

Once the lockdown is lifted she believes there will be a big appetite for travel.

“We’re going to be desperate to travel - desperate to be free, to make decisions and choices about what we do with our time because all that has been removed.”

She was confident the tourist sector would bounce back. “It was the quickest to recover after the crash and after foot and mouth. We’re a resilient industry.”