Smart data for smarter tourism

I’m delighted that our report on tourism and transportation in Edinburgh is now publicly available. The this pilot was led by Smart Data Foundry in partnership with Capital City Partnership, TravelTech for Scotland, and Workforce Mobility.

What I found most rewarding about this work was that we didn’t collect any new data. Instead, we brought together sources that already existed in separate silos: accommodation listings, transport links, ticket sales, event attendance. By combining and synthesising them, we were able to generate new and actionable insights into how the city region manages tourism during the busy festival period.

Our research looked at how data could support more coordinated planning around large events in Edinburgh and the South East of Scotland. With visitor numbers rising, there is increasing pressure on transport and accommodation. We modelled scenarios where multiple events take place at the same time and these helped us to identify where improved transport connections could make a real difference.

One reason I care about projects like this is that they show how data can have an impact beyond theory or technical detail. I enjoy working on methods and models, writing the report, and engaging with stakeholders, but what really motivates me is seeing how they can shape decisions that affect people’s lives. This work brought it all together!

The full report is now available online! Check it out here!

Smart Data Foundry. (2025). Smart Data for Smarter Tourism. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16032077