THE Capital's famous Hogmanay party is set to beat the credit crunch with advance bookings of hotel rooms in the city keeping up with last year's levels.
More than a third of the 12,000 hotel rooms available in Edinburgh over the four days around Hogmanay have already been snapped up by revellers preparing early for this year's festivities.
And hotel bosses are confident that a growing trend for la
te bookings means that the figure can even beat last year's figure.
City leaders said that the new data gives further proof that the Capital is still regarded as "the home of Hogmanay".
Councillor Steve Cardownie, the city's festival and events champion, said: "You would have expected the figures to be a lot lower, given the economy and people drawing in their horns, but these are very encouraging figures. They show that people do still want to come to Edinburgh and enjoy themselves.
"These figures augur well for the future and show that it is still the best party in the country, and internationally.
"Edinburgh is the home of Hogmanay, and, as Scotland's capital city, it is our duty to put on a programme that will get people coming here in numbers."
The figures, compiled by the Edinburgh Principal Hotels Association, whose members account for around half of the city's hotel rooms, show that, for the four-day period from December 29- January 1, 35.5 per cent of the city's hotel rooms had been booked in advance as at October 1, compared to 35.7 per cent last year and 36 per cent in 2006.
For the evening of Hogmanay, 45 per cent of rooms had been booked – the same figure as last year. And bookings for January 1 are ahead of the previous two years.
Simon Williams, chief executive of EPHA, said: "Give or take small changes on individual days, bookings are largely the same as previous years, which is great news given the economy generally.
"There might also be the factor of people choosing to stay in the UK instead of going abroad to save some money, and that could help because Christmas and New Year is a high-travel time of year.
"People are still making the decision to come and stay in Edinburgh at Hogmanay, and that is also an indication that the 2006 cancellation has not affected advance bookings at all."
There had been fears that a doubling of the price of street passes for this year's event could hit demand.
But Mr Williams said he believes improved facilities and safety measures, together with the arrival of alcohol bars, have helped keep demand high.
Sinead Guerin, VisitScotland regional director, said: "These figures are extremely encouraging given the economic situation.
"This reiterates the massive popularity of the festive period in Edinburgh, particularly the Hogmanay Street Party. Given the increasing trend to book last minute, it would appear Edinburgh is in line for another successful festive period.
"This is yet another example of partnership working between all local bodies reaping benefits."
