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  6. How Mercat Tours support their local community through tourism

How Mercat Tours support their local community through tourism

4 minute read • Last updated: 13 March 2025

Mercat Tours was established in 1985 by Des Brogan, a passionate history teacher. He had a simple mantra that  “history is a damn good story. What it needs is a damn good telling”.

They’ve grown to become an award-winning family business offering history walks and ghost tours of Edinburgh. Mercat Tours focus on making meaningful connections with their customers, the city, and the past through storytelling.

The team pride themselves on offering unscripted authentic tours where the stories are all true. They have exclusive access to the Blair Street Underground Vaults - the deepest, oldest underground vaults in Edinburgh.

In this article:

  • Working in the tourism industry
  • Tourism benefitting the community
  • The Meaningful Travel Map
  • The future for Mercat Tours

Working in the tourism industry

Mercat Tours celebrate 40 years

Mercat Tours celebrate 40 years

© Mercat Tours

We believe that tourism is everyone's business, where everyone has a place.

This year, Mercat Tours celebrate 40 years of sharing Edinburgh’s extraordinary stories – from the iconic sites of the Old Town to the hidden depths of the Blair Street Underground Vaults. 

In a year-long celebration they aim to “pay tribute to the people, partnerships, memories and milestones that have shaped our journey, ready to step into an exciting future.”

The team at Mercat Tours are led by the desire to look after people, building community before profit. “Tourism is the most inclusive and inspiring sector to develop a career in. It holds the power to create diverse, dynamic teams that attract passionate people to work and equally supports communities to thrive.”

Tourism is their passion so they’ve developed a tour for all tastes. “From bespoke private tours, to a full two-hour evening experience, daytime or evening, weekday or weekend – we definitely have something for everyone.”

And they want the experience to be personal. They limit their group sizes to a maximum of 18 people, so customers can always comfortably hear and see their storyteller, and always feel included. “It’s one of the reasons we're consistently rated 5-stars – and why we’ve won so many awards.”

Tourism benefitting the community

"Our Stories, Your City" is a project led by Mercat Tours. The initiative reconnects disconnected and vulnerable communities of Edinburgh with their city through storytelling.

Grassmarket Community Project (GCP) are long-standing friends of Mercat Tours and support people who are homeless, have physical and mental health issues, disabilities, alcohol and drug problems, and who are disconnected from society.

The project is paid for by customer donations, demonstrating tourism as a force for good. Donations buy GCP members and vulnerable local young people a 5-star tour - free of charge to them.  

“The success of our relationship and this project is rooted in the shared belief Mercat and GCP have in the importance of community.

“This progress is thanks to our visitors belief in the power of storytelling to make connections. As the donations continue to grow, so does the strength of our promise to use storytelling to benefit those who need it most.”

The Meaningful Travel Map

Tour guide addresses a group of customers by a historical monument

Mercat tours on the Royal Mile

© VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

The Meaningful Travel Map is a partnership between Tourism Cares and VisitScotland, it’s a chance to shout about the good we do for our people, place and planet.

The Meaningful Travel Map acts as a useful resource for travel distribution partners to easily source tourism experiences which are making positive social and environmental impacts.

Like many Scottish tourism businesses, Mercat Tours consider their team, community and planet with every decision they make.

They feature "Our Stories, Your City" and their "Day in Edinburgh" projects in the Meaningful Travel Map. Each project supports the local community, their Green Tourism GOLD achievements and their Living Wage commitment to their team.

“Day in Edinburgh” gives pupils the opportunity to explore Edinburgh’s rich cultural heritage and learn about the career opportunities within its tourism sector, by meeting industry professionals who share insights into their careers.

The future for Mercat Tours

With the 40th year celebrations underway, Mercat Tours are looking forward to “one of a kind” tours and a host of special events. “We’ve designed a programme to honour our legacy while thanking the local community, Edinburgh’s tourism industry and its visitors from around the globe for their support over the last four decades.”

This year will also see them sharing the "Our Stories, Your City" project story even more broadly, inspiring visitors to donate so they can host more GCP members and support local schools on tours free of charge.
 

Get your business on the map

If you have a distribution-ready, responsible tourism experience you could showcase it on the Meaningful Travel Map.

Find out more about how you can apply and the benefits that this brings.

Meaningful travel map

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