15/04/2009 - Scottish hotels see occupancy fall
Scotland's hotel industry saw a relatively slower fall in occupancy rates compared with the UK as a whole in what was a "challenging start to the year", figures have shown.
Accountancy firm PKF surveyed the industry and blamed a combination of poor weather and the economic downturn for the fall in numbers.
Occupancy levels across Scotland fell by 5.2% compared to a drop of 7.7% across the UK as a whole in February. Room yield - the revenue generated per room - declined by 10.3% in Scotland compared to a 13.4% drop across the UK for the month.
Glasgow saw the biggest decline in room yield with a 12.2% fall, while Aberdeen was down 11.1% and Edinburgh 10.8%. Occupancy also fell in all three cities, 4.1% in Edinburgh, 5.8% in Glasgow and 8.1% in Aberdeen.
Alastair Rae, a partner in the hospitality and leisure sector at PKF said the start to 2009 had been pretty challenging for Scottish hoteliers.
"There is now ample evidence of reduced spending in both the leisure and business markets, resulting in continuing falls in both occupancy and room yield," he added.
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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