More than 5,400 people took advantage of exclusive offers available only to residents within the City of Edinburgh Council area last year.

The Forever Edinburgh ‘Resident Rewards’ programme, which is run by the City of Edinburgh Council, partnered with over 50 local businesses to offer residents exclusive ‘Rewards’ with key leisure and hospitality businesses, visitor attractions, tours, and festive events around the city.

In 2023, the scheme saw an uplift of 195% in bookings of its monthly ‘Star Reward’ and an increase of 88% in the number of residents benefiting from the programme compared to 2022.

In the last year, it has helped residents to make a combined saving of £66,114.

More than 700 local kids enjoyed Camera Obscura for free in March 2023, while over 850 residents attended the Johnnie Walker Princes Street Experience with a 40% discount during their dedicated month.

Residents Rewards Edinburgh was launched in December 2021 to reconnect citizens with the city’s best leisure, food and drink, and cultural experiences. Edinburgh residents can enjoy high-value monthly rewards, special resident prices at key attractions, 12 months’ validity on entry tickets, special previews of upcoming events, and half-price and free entry to attractions at specific times in the month and year.

Last year, Forever Edinburgh enhanced the programme by introducing several new Reward offers including Resident Previews, Half-price & Free days, Annual Passes, and Resident Rates.

Since 2021, the Resident Rewards microsite has been viewed nearly half a million times and has also generated over 35,000 business leads, demonstrating the strength and potential of this market-leading programme.

Councillor Cammy Day, leader of the City of Edinburgh Council said: “It has been a fantastic year for Resident Rewards, with new businesses and brand-new attractions signing up to give back to Edinburgh residents. It’s wonderful to see so many people taking advantage of these exclusive rewards and exploring their own city for less. Whether you live locally or visit from halfway across the world, there is so much more to Edinburgh than many of us find time to discover. These rewards provide the perfect chance to try something new while supporting the local economy and I’d encourage other local businesses to get involved.”

Claire Riddoch, Marketing Manager, Camera Obscura & World of Illusions said: “Taking part in the Residents Reward was a great success for Camera Obscura & World of Illusions. We are always looking at ways we can work with our local partners and audiences to give back something in return for their loyal support, especially after the last few hard years of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We were delighted to welcome just under 700 local children free during March 2023, which contributed to a 56% overall rise in children visiting compared to March 2022 and 33% of our total visitors were from Edinburgh and Lothians, up 16% on 2022.”

The scheme’s popularity has continued to grow, with the Resident Reward microsite now the 4th most popular page on The Official Guide to Edinburgh website. The programme is promoted through a targeted media campaign involving local partners such as Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams.

Resident Rewards is being fully funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and funding has been secured until March 2025.

In April, residents can enjoy a 25% discount at the Escape Room in the Department of Magic through the Monthly Star reward. Then, in May they can take advantage of an exclusive 30% discount on tours at the new Port of Leith Distillery, Scotland’s first vertical whisky distillery located in Leith.

To unlock exclusive discounts and rewards as an Edinburgh resident, go to https://edinburgh.org/residentrewards/

Participation in this programme is free for local leisure and hospitality businesses. If you’re interested in joining and offering exclusive rewards to residents of the City of Edinburgh through your business, please reach out to the team at: residentrewards@edinburgh.gov.uk.