Edinburgh Castle is in “survival mode” following a drastic fall in visitor numbers since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a leading trade body.
Just 400,000 people visited the iconic capital attraction in 2021 - down 1.8 million from 2019.
The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva) said venues that rely on visitors from overseas continue to struggle despite covid-19 restrictions being lifted in the UK.
READ MORE: Ex Edinburgh Hibs casual fighting in Ukraine tells women to 'form queue' when he returns
Bosses have since warned it could take “two to three years” for the site’s profits to recover, with demand not expected to recover across the UK until ‘2024 or 2025’.
Other major sites, including the likes of Stonehenge and the Tower of London in England, have also been severely hampered by the effects of the virus.
Alva director Bernard Donoghue told the PA news agency: “There are some visitor attractions, including some of the UK’s most iconic attractions, which are still in survival mode.
“That’s because in a normal year, they’re largely dependent on overseas visitors, who haven’t been coming here for the last few years.
“Until they come back in 2019 levels, those organisations like Edinburgh Castle won’t be repairing their balance sheets for another two or three years.”
VisitBritain estimates that people visiting the UK from overseas last year spent £5.5 billion, which would be just 19 per cent of the 2019 total.
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
Mr Donoghue said the surge in UK residents taking domestic holidays in 2021 “really didn’t compensate for the loss of overseas visitors and their spending”.
Despite the partial recovery in international visitor numbers, Mr Donoghue warned that the tourism sector has “got to be realistic” as demand is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024 or 2025.
“Quite a lot of the visitor economy will remain vulnerable this year, and possibly for the next 18 months,” he noted.
Historic Environment Scotland has been contacted for comment.
