Tourism businesses celebrate a year of success

The gathering took place at the stunning Gilmerton House, an exclusive accommodation and events venue, and involved around 50 tourism professionals and businesses from across East Lothian, providing an opportunity to share ideas, strengthen connections and celebrate another successful year for the region’s visitor economy.

Graham Booth, General Manager at Gilmerton House, opened the event by welcoming guests who then heard from Councillor John McMillan, Cabinet Spokesperson for Environment, Economic Development and Tourism, who highlighted:

• East Lothian had welcomed 1.56 million visitors, generating £379 million for the local economy in 2024 which is significantly up on 2019 pre-Covid figures
• the outstanding work and achievements Visit East Lothian has delivered throughout the year
• the importance of partnership working in driving success
• praise for the commitment and creativity of our tourism businesses in making East Lothian a vibrant and welcoming destination.

Visit East Lothian is the official Destination Marketing and Management Organisation (DMMO) for East Lothian. Working in partnership with local businesses and national agencies, it promotes the region as a leading visitor destination and supports sustainable growth of the visitor economy.

Councillor McMillan said: “This event was not only a great chance for our tourism partners to gather at a stunning venue and make useful connections for growing their businesses; it was also a real celebration of everything they and Visit East Lothian have achieved in the last year. Despite this being a time of financial challenges for many of us, our visitor economy continues to grow and that is a real testament to what East Lothian has to offer and the quality of our visitor and hospitality industry.”

Neil Christison, Regional Director at VisitScotland, provided an update on key industry trends and partnerships, and talked about:

• national tourism performance and East Lothian’s strong position within the wider context
• the short-term outlook for visitor numbers and emerging consumer trends
• the continued partnership between VisitScotland and East Lothian Council’s Economic Development team
• recent collaborative marketing activity undertaken
• proposed initiatives for 2026.

Neil said: “I was pleased to attend Visit East Lothian’s annual Christmas Networking event. Tourism is hugely important to the region and collaboration is key to developing the destination. We know the industry is navigating challenging times, with the rising cost of living and the impact on visitor behaviour, but there is much to be encouraged by the performance of tourism in East Lothian and we’re excited to be working in partnership with Visit East Lothian on several exciting marketing campaigns with global platforms in the new year.”