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Edinburgh has been crowned one of the UK’s top eTowns in e-commerce by Google. I was delighted to accept the award on behalf of the city earlier last month. The Google eTown Awards are designed to recognise those towns whose businesses are most actively embracing the web, and at a time when the internet is spurring economic growth, Edinburgh has won second place. The award builds on the


recent success of Edinburgh’s small businesses in 2012, in part due to extra tourism during the Olympics. According to the latest


ONS statistics the town’s vibrant economy has seen a 23% increase in the number of businesses starting up over the past five years despite the economic downturn. It is clear that many of those are taking advantage of the internet economy. To provide a snapshot of


this vital economic activity, Google worked with Ipsos MORI to break the UK into its 12 regions and analysed the online strength of local businesses across 1 300 towns. Those towns with the highest scores in each


region were awarded eTown status.


Edinburgh is proud of its


Google eTown award and I am delighted to represent an area that has truly embraced the internet to help their local businesses to flourish. The internet is going to play a key role in Edinburgh's economic growth, helping local businesses and entrepreneurs thrive, and contributing overall to the wider British economy. I hope this award encourages other local businesses to use the internet to grow.


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