Scottish occupancy holds firm despite more rooms

Low-cost flights and a boom in the short-break market led to a bumper year for Scottish hoteliers in 2003.

According to figures from hotel and tourism associations in Glasgow and Edinburgh, occupancy levels have held firm despite a marked increase in roomstock.

Figures released by the Greater Glasgow Hotels Association (GGHA) and Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley Tourist Board show that occupancy levels have remained the same in the area in the three years from 1998, despite more than 3,000 new hotel rooms coming online.

Philip Mahoney, chairman of the GGHA, said: "The Glasgow tourist market has been busy in terms of both leisure and business. Alongside the good weather, vibrant shopping facilities, bars and restaurants, the increase in low-cost flights to Glasgow and Prestwick airports, and Glasgow being the 2003 European Capital of Sport, last year was very successful for events, with more business trips being made to the city than ever."

Hoteliers in Edinburgh have also recorded their highest occupancies since 1997. Recent figures from the Edinburgh Principal Hotels Association showed that average occupancy in the city was 75% in 2003.

Low-cost flights and a boom in the short-break market led to a bumper year for Scottish hoteliers in 2003.

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper, 12 - 18 February 2004