Edinburgh’s ‘Stay Away’ campaign to keep stag dos out of city is met with anger
A drive to reduce the number of stag dos and hen parties in Edinburgh has sparked a backlash from nightlife bosses.
The Edinburgh Old Town Association (EOTA), which represents businesses and residents in the city’s historical centre, is calling for officials to adopt a campaign against ‘nuisance’ tourists.
Campaigners say Edinburgh should follow in the footsteps of Amsterdam, where licensing laws and opening hours are being tightened in a bid to put off visitors who are mainly interested in the city’s cannabis shops and red light district.
EOTA convener Eric Drake told Edinburgh Evening News last week: ‘Clearly tourism is important to the Edinburgh economy but I think, as Amsterdam is saying, you have to balance that against the impact on the people of the city.
‘Without wanting to sound snobbish, some types of tourist are better for the city or less impactful than others.’
The campaigners have since been branded ‘puritanical busybodies’ by the boss of a business which organises stags and hens in Edinburgh for thousands of people each year.
Matt Mavir warned that killing off such events would lose Edinburgh ‘tens of millions’ each year with ‘dire consequences’ for the city’s hospitality workers.
He said: ‘Less than five years ago, Edinburgh was voted Britain’s best party city and even beat Las Vegas and Sao Paulo.
‘Fast forward to now, and you have puritanical busybodies trying to suck the fun out of much of the city.
‘To even suggest they won’t be welcome will just push them into the arms of a city that will gladly accept what they bring.
Treating partygoers as ‘second-class tourists’ would turn Edinburgh into a ‘city where you’re only welcome if your face fits’, he added.
Edinburgh’s council has not explicitly come out against stag and hen dos, though it is cracking down on Airbnb rentals and adult entertainment.
An effective ban on strip clubs and similar venues is due to come into force in March, although the move faces a judicial review following challenge by a union representing sex workers and several local businesses.
The union will argue the ban amounts to gender discrimination against women, and that it interferes with their right to respect for private and family life under the European Convention of Human Rights.
Landlords are required to get planning permission to use properties for short-term lets and have been refused permission where it would affect neighbours, the EOTA says.
Campaigners in York, including local Labour MP Rachael Maskell, are pushing for the city to create ‘stag and hen zones’ to stop parties from bleeding into residential areas.
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