Hogmanay: Peaks Scotland's Travel & Tourism Economy
17th Dec 2025
Unsurprisingly, Hogmanay is one of the strongest drivers for economic growth in Scotland yearly. While the Christmas markets still provide a steady footfall throughout December, the in spending, travel and business activity occurs in the final days of the year - when Edinburgh becomes a hub for New Year's tourism.
For those among the accountancy and finance community, particularly those in the travel and tourism sector, Hogmanay presents itself as a high intensity trading period - sometimes causing major implications for financial control, workload planning and seasonal hiring.
Hogmanay's International Pull - The Data
According to the Financial & Economic Impact of Scotland's Christmas Tourism Period (2025:
- 31% of Hogmanay attendees are international visitors, in comparison to only 10% during the Christmas events in Edinburgh.
- Between 29th - 31st December2023, Edinburgh Airport welcomed 55,000+ inbound travellers, coming namely from Canada, the USA, Germany and Scandinavia.
- It was reported that those visiting Edinburgh's Winter Festivals spend an average of £537 per trip, which is boosted by dining, entertainment and accommodation.
- On new Years's Eve 2023, hotels reached 92.5% occupancy, raising by 20% year on year.
The condensed economic spike creates a uniquely intense period for financial operations.
Why Hogmanay Stretches Finance Teams
- Activity Spikes Require Quicker Turnaround Times
With hotels, bars, restaurants and venues recording their strongest trading days of the year and many finance teams face:
- Increased transaction volumes
- Speedy reconciliation requirements
- Revenue monitoring by the minute
- Tight cashflow and budget oversight
- Seasonal Hiring Pressures Increase Payroll Complexity
UK seasonal job posting rose by 16%, with job seeker interest hitting a nine year high!
For finance teams, this can mean:
- Large temporary teams to help cover the busy period
- High volume payroll
- Increased fluctuation in shift patterns
- Supplier payments for events and seasonal contracts
- Events Add Financial Complexity
Hogmanay celebrations - including concerts, streets events and indoor events, require things such as:
- Event budget management
- Ticket revenue reconciliation
- Performer / supplier payments
- Detailed cost tracking
According to the Festive Tourism Impact Report (2025), over 75% of festival performers and market traders are local, thus creating a broad supplier base finance teams must support.
Finance Demand Peaks in Edinburgh & Glasgow:
Edinburgh
As the global Hogmanay hub, Edinburgh sees the likes of:
- Millions in visitor spend
- Trading hours extended
- Packed hotels and venues
- Revenue streams from multiple channels
Finance teams within the hospitality, retail and events sectors experience their highest operational intensity of the year.
Glasgow
In 2024, Glasgow experience 4.72 million overnight visitors and a £2.39 billion in visitor expenditure, and they also experience trading spikes between December - January across the retail and hospitality sectors.
What Does This Mean for Employers?
In order to prepare effectively for the surge over the Hogmanay period, employers should consider:
- Hiring interim finance support early to get ahead of the curve
- Build the capacity for increased reporting and fast reconciliation
- Strengthen the close processes for December/January
- Use seasonal interim roles as a talent pipeline for potential long term hires
What Does This Mean for Accountancy & Finance Candidates?
Hogmanay offers the opportunity to gain high value commercial experience including:
- Operating in high volume and fast paced environments
- Exposure to events based revenue models
- Many temp to perm progression opportunities
- Gain experience supporting one of Scotland's largest annual economic events
Final Thoughts
Not just a celebration, Hogmanay provides a boom of economic activity for Scotland, transforming the landscape for businesses and finance departments alike. With a surge of international visitors, increased levels of trading and complex event operations - they all equally contribute to the heightened demand for support from finance professionals.
As an accountancy and finance recruitment firm based in Scotland, we aim to ensure hiring managers secure the right talent, whether that be temporary, interim or permanent staff.
If your team needs extra bodies to help with the busy period, or just some advice, we'd be delighted to help!