WE DON'T even know their names yet, but they are guaranteed to become Edinburgh's most famous couple, with thousands of people flocking to the city just to glimpse them.
Edinburgh Zoo's giant pandas, which could arrive as soon as next spring, are expected to attract an influx of visitors, with benefits for the local economy.
Some zoos have seen their visitor figures double after being loaned the animals, descri
bed as "the rock stars of the captive animal world".
Now Edinburgh Zoo is considering the implications for the attraction's infrastructure and for tourism in Scotland, if the pandas do arrive from China.
Sinead Guerin, VisitScotland's regional director, said: "From a tourism point of view, it would be a real boost. It's the kind of animal people might make a trip to come to see, which would then bring benefits to other parts of the sector, accommodation providers, restaurants, retailers and other attractions.
"The zoo is already doing well, but pandas are such iconic animals, people feel really passionately about their conservation. I'm sure it's one of the things they would want to see when they come to Scotland."
Senior zoo officials have recently returned from a trip to China where they signed a letter of intent with the Chinese authorities, the first stage of commitment to bringing a pair of pandas to Scotland in time for the zoo's centenary in 2009. They hope the final agreement could be signed by Gordon Brown during the Beijing Olympics. Edinburgh would become the only zoo in the UK and the fourth in Europe to have the animals.
David Windmill, the chief executive of the Royal Zoological Society, said he expected a "substantial increase" in visitors. "Every zoo which has got pandas has experienced that. And if the pandas breed there is another spike when the cub is born.
"At the moment, most of our visitors are relatively local. If we have giant pandas, we would expect a lot more tourists to the city to come to the zoo. We also anticipate visitors will come to Edinburgh just to see these animals."
He said a study would need to be carried out to evaluate how the zoo's infrastructure would cope with the influx. A record turnout of 9,000 visitors on last week's sunny Bank Holiday put pressure on parking and facilities and caused traffic problems in Corstorphine Road.
When the zoo became the only one in the UK to exhibit koalas in 2005, visitor figures increased by 20 per cent and crowd-control measures had to be put in place. "The existing infrastructure will be put under a lot of pressure," Mr Windmill said. "We may have to use a timed ticketing mechanism to make sure that those who come have a comfortable experience and a good experience."
Jenny Dawe, leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, said: "Edinburgh Zoo is a key asset for the city and one of our top attractions for visitors and residents alike. I have no doubt that the pandas' arrival will provide a huge boost to visitor numbers and have a knock-on positive effect for the local economy."
The pandas at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, which arrived in 2001, had ten million visitors in their first five years. When a cub was born in 2005, viewing figures rose by 50 per cent and merchandise sales also doubled.
However, zoos must balance carefully the costs of the pandas against any potential profit. Atlanta Zoo was left with a $5.5 million deficit when visitor figures to see its pandas tailed off after the first two years.
Symbol of conservation is a crowd-pullerIF ONE of your zoos is lucky enough to receive giant pandas, I tell you everybody's lives are going to change dramatically and for the better.
The Smithsonian's National Zoo has a wonderful history with giant pandas. Our first pair were a gift to the American people to commemorate President Richard Nixon's visit to China.
These bears are rare and critically endangered, with an estimated 1,600 left in the wild. Their natural habitat is a few mountain ranges in China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu.
When we received our first pandas in 1972, few people in the West had ever seen one. Now we have three: Mei Xiang (female), Tian Tian (male) and Tai Shan, their cub, which is almost three years old. Tai Shan was the first surviving cub for the zoo and highly significant for our research and animal management experts.
After the cub was born we observed the Chinese tradition of waiting 100 days before naming him. Tai Shan translates as "peaceful mountain". Naturally, the cub drew thousands of visitors, and although admission to the zoo is free, we temporarily issued timed tickets to view Tai Shan.
The Fujifilm giant panda habitat is one of the zoo's most popular sites.
Our educational interpreters spend a lot of time informing the public about the species, science, their habitat, and the need for conservation. Giant pandas are a symbol of conservation that the public has come to recognise. By working to protect pandas in the wild, scientists and conservationists protect countless other species of mammals, birds, insects and plants that share their habitat.
As part of the Smithsonian Institute, we have a team of scientists who have worked closely with domestic and Chinese colleagues to increase giant panda reproduction and health in captivity as well as work in China to improve conditions for wild pandas. The zoo's online panda-cam is hugely popular and viewed by people around the world. With the chance to see giant pandas up close, we hope the people of the United Kingdom will be equally inspired to learn about the complex issues facing this elusive animal and make the same commitment towards their conservation.
• Pamela Baker-Masson is associate director of communications at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington DC.
