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EDINBURGH, Scotland, Aug 29, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Both Scotland's International Book Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe had record attendance this year, representing a boom to the country's economy.
The Glasgow Herald reported that while crowds at the literary festival rose eight percent this year, to an overall 75 percent capacity, the Fringe sold a record 1.5 million tickets during its run as the annual arts festival pumped an estimated $142 million into the Scottish economy.
"This is the sixth year of consecutive growth for the Fringe. It's stunning to think it was only three years ago we were celebrating selling one million tickets for the first time." said Fringe director Paul Gudgin.
Building on the success of the festivals, Gudgin called for more political support for the festivals to ensure the future of such events.
Event organizers said the book festival's success in 2006 was likely due to the attendance of a number of literary stars, while the Fringe drew record numbers with dynamic new venues, the newspaper said.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
