To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the economy secretary has had with business leaders regarding work to maximise the economic impact of Edinburgh’s festivals. (S6O-04866)

We are always working with Edinburgh’s festivals to maximise economic opportunities and to complement the year-round efforts of each of these flagship cultural events.

Alongside the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, I convened a round table on Friday 22 August with business, data and diplomatic leaders, exploring how we can collectively maximise the fringe’s economic impact.

With last month’s outstanding Edinburgh festival programmes in mind, I congratulate the artists, performing companies, production teams, supporting staff and everyone whose work makes Edinburgh’s festivals a global cultural highlight.

We know how important our cultural and creative sectors are to the economy and how they can drive growth. In her meeting with businesses following Edinburgh’s festivals, did the Deputy First Minister highlight the benefits of investing in culture and corporate sponsorship of cultural events? Will she commit to further engagement to support private investment in our cultural and creative sectors?

The short answer is yes—I commit to on-going engagement. Foysol Choudhury identified a number of different funding sources. The Scottish Government has provided funding to support the fringe this year, but at that round table, international leaders in particular commented on how much their Governments invest in supporting those from their nations who are performing at the fringe, highlighting that it is a global phenomenon. We are proud to continue to support it.

Scotland’s festivals are a vital part of our cultural landscape, a boost to tourism and an important part of our regional economies. Will the Deputy First Minister say more about how the Scottish Government is working to support festivals in the wider cultural sector in Scotland through the increased funding in the 2025-26 Scottish budget?

As a result of the biggest increase in culture funding in the history of the Parliament, Scotland’s festivals have benefited from significant increases in core funding through Creative Scotland’s multiyear funding programme. A third of that funding programme’s recipients run a festival, and a number of them are receiving multiyear funding for the first time.

Last month, we announced the creation of an expanded festivals fund. The application process opened today—Wednesday 3 September. It is administered by Creative Scotland and supports non-profit arts and cultural festivals across Scotland. The £1.8 million fund will provide up to £200,000 in grants per festival in its first year to those that are not already in receipt of festival expo funding.

Such is the success of Edinburgh’s festivals that, at one point last month, Edinburgh was the most expensive destination in the world for people to visit. There are concerns in the industry about the perception of Scotland as a high-cost destination. Does the Deputy First Minister agree with the evidence that we heard at the Economy and Fair Work Committee this morning that councils such as the City of Edinburgh Council need to take that into account when setting the visitor levy, which is coming down the track?

Murdo Fraser is right to highlight the overall costs of the festivals. Accommodation costs are one of the biggest challenges across the fringe ecosystem because they affect artists, visitors and residents. One of the priority areas for the strategic partnership for Scotland’s festivals, which is led by Angus Robertson, is to look at that issue in greater detail.

Murdo Fraser will also be aware of some of the wider support for artists, particularly the “Keep it fringe” fund, which is administered to reduce financial barriers for artists performing at the fringe. We need to look more broadly at what to do to keep the fringe accessible to as many artists as possible.

Question 2 has been withdrawn.