How Mercat Tours support their local community through tourism

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 of18 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.”

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.