Tattoo organisors hope to reach a billion people through expansion programme

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo wants to reach an audience of a billion through an international expansion programme.

The Tattoo, which has already staged shows in Australia and New Zealand in the last 15 years, plans to double its turnover to #20 million by 2025.

The company wants to secure overseas tours in China, Australia and Canada from 2019 onwards.

The ambition to attract a global audience of a billion by 2025, a tenfold increase, is described as a step change'' for the organisation whose annual Edinburgh show is bound by the physical size of the Edinburgh Castle esplanade.

Brigadier David Allfrey, Tattoo producer and chief executive, said: The Tattoo is one of the greatest shows on earth, attracting audiences across the globe to Edinburgh and selling out year on year.

We are a small company but we have big ambitions and are focused on delivering a show that is bigger and better, more technically advanced and visually thrilling every year.

Edinburgh is an amazing stage and will always be our home, but for us to continue to thrive as an organisation, we need to look beyond the esplanade and the walls of the city.''

The company aims to continue to grow revenue streams overseas to deliver commercial benefits and reinvest in Scotland.

The show sells 220,000 tickets for its Edinburgh show each August, generating #77 million annually for the UK economy with a further #30 million value added in full-time employment.

Performances in Australia and New Zealand in 2016 generated more than 240,000 ticket sales and provided #50 million gross economic impacts to the cities of Melbourne and Wellington.

Brig Allfrey added: Our previous tours have shown there is a huge appetite for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo internationally, and we want to build our brand by giving more people the opportunity to enjoy the wonderfully rich and exhilarating Tattoo experience more often and in evolving forms.

We are in the unique position to be able to bring together military and civil societies, link Scotland with the international community and strengthen ties with current and future British allies so we're excited to reveal these plans today and invite our key partners, sponsors, supporters and audiences to join us on this journey to new destinations and long-term success.'