The Visitor Levy comes into force on Friday, which is a huge achievement for the city and one that I am very proud of. Edinburgh’s is the first city-wide visitor levy in the UK, which gives us a once in a generation opportunity to reinvest directly in the things that matter most to the people who live, work, study in and visit our capital. 

Our success as a global visitor destination is a source of pride which brings enormous benefits to the city, but we need to be proactive about managing the effects of this popularity. The levy – potentially generating up to £50million a year by 2029 - gives us the means to address these challenges. This represents the largest new injection of funding Edinburgh has seen this side of the millennium.  

This money will help to sustain, support and enhance the very things that make Edinburgh an exceptional place to visit, while improving the quality of life for those of us who live here. 

We are already seeing some of the positives of the levy. Last weekend’s Edinburgh Festival Carnival and Mardi Gras events were supported by £132k from the visitor levy. A new City Centre Policing Unit will see more Police officers on the street in the city centre has also been funded through the levy. There is also £2m that will give communities across all wards in the city the power to shape and fund projects that will benefit their local areas. This will also encourage visitors to explore Edinburgh’s many hidden gems.

The money will also be used to make sure that our streets and open spaces are kept clean and tidy, and maintained to a high standard, and there will be extra support to tackle graffiti. There will be an extra £1.3million for additional bin collections and street cleaning too. Ambitious regeneration projects will also help to renew and restore much-loved areas of the city with investment to support local high streets in Edinburgh. 

The cultural sector will benefit from the levy with support including £5m to restore Leith Theatre, creating a year-round space for culture and live music. £3m has been allocated towards transforming the Old Royal High School into a world class, accessible national centre for music. 

We’ve listened to residents and businesses at every stage of the process and I'm grateful to the many Council officers and Visitor Levy Advisory Forum members for their hard work in developing the levy, as well as everyone who has contributed to the discussion which has helped to shape these plans. 

This is only the beginning. The introduction of the Visitor Levy will allow us to get to grips with the challenges posed by our increasing global popularity, as well as taking advantage of the benefits that it brings for all. 

This is an exciting new chapter for our city. A cleaner, greener, safer, well-maintained and more sustainable Edinburgh will benefit not only our visitors but also everyone who lives and works here all year round.