Royal Yacht Britannia to close indefinitely because of coronavirus losses

The Royal Yacht Britannia in Leith is to close indefinitely, as bosses say it's unsustainable with reduced visitor numbers.

The visitor attraction re-opened in July, following the initial coronavirus lockdown, but has sustained heavy financial losses since then.

The decision to close again from Wednesday coincides with the extension of the UK government's furlough scheme.

Bob Downie, Chief Executive of The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, said: “The timing of this closure is to take advantage of the extended Coronvirus Job Retention Scheme under which we can furlough staff and reclaim 80% of their wages.

"In very simple terms, we will lose less money from being closed than we are currently losing by being open, over £2.4M to date and taking action now will help protect our charity’s long-term future.”

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