Scottish hoteliers reporting influx of European visitors for Hogmanay

Hoteliers in Scotland’s two largest cities are seeing a significant influx of visitors from the continent for the Scottish New Year celebrations, and are saying that the numbers are at least partly driven by a strong euro.

With fewer than 48 hours before the festivities begin, all passes that were available for Edinburgh’s New Year’s street party have been spoken for. Now the only way to enjoy the celebrations in the capital is to buy a ticket for one of the main events.

Tickets for a Hogmanay concert to be held in Glasgow’s George Square and featuring Idlewild and Paolo Nutini are already sold out. As of Monday, however, there were still tickets available for the Deacon Blue concert to be held at Stirling Castle.

Weather forecasters are saying that a cold but calm night is expected, as opposed to some past years when events were cancelled due to bad weather.

In spite of concerns over a slump in tourism and a decline in ticket sales, organizers of Hogmanay events are saying they’re optimistic about the success of this year’s celebrations, and hoteliers are reporting brisk business.

The treasurer of the Edinburgh Principal Hotels Association, Russell Imrie, said: “We have noticed a higher proportion of European guests this Hogmanay compared to previous years. The pound-to-euro exchange rate makes it good value for money – although the majority of visitors still come from within the UK.”

Thanks to news.scotsman.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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