The Fringe, the high-toned Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Art Festival and the citys bagpipe-swirling Military Tattoo were all casualties of the U.K.s coronavirus lockdown.
Donald Emslie, chairman of the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group, said the citys annual income from tourism doubled between 2010 and 2020.
Edinburgh has been synonymous with arts festivals since 1947, when the Edinburgh International Festival was founded to revive the war-weary city.
Last year more than 3.1 million tickets were sold to almost 4,000 Fringe shows during the three-week event.
The International Festival also broadcast some productions online, and the book festival ran live-streamed talks by authors from around the world.