THE Edinburgh hotel sector overtook Aberdeen in terms of revenue per available room in June, as the tourist season got into full swing, a survey has shown.

Edinburgh hotels achieved the third-highest revenue per available room in the UK outside London in June, behind Windsor in Berkshire and Windermere in the Lake District, according to the survey from accountancy firm BDO.

This measure, also known as rooms yield, is calculated by multiplying occupancy by average room rate achieved.

The BDO survey of three and four-star properties showed that rooms yield for Edinburgh hotels came in at £81.37 in June, up by 2.6 per cent on the same month of last year.

Aberdeen hotels achieved an 8.8 per cent year-on-year rise in revenue per available room to £75.31 in June.

BDO noted that June was the first month since August last year in which Edinburgh hotels had been ahead of those in Aberdeen in terms of revenue per available room. Hotels in the Scottish capital achieved revenue per available room of £116.85 in August last year, as they enjoyed the usual uplift from the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe.

In May this year, the hotel sectors in Edinburgh and Aberdeen achieved respective revenue per available room of £71.80 and £78.61.

The Glasgow hotel sector achieved revenue per available room of £54.74 in June, according to the latest survey, up 5.8 per cent on the same month of 2013.

Hotels in Inverness achieved rooms yield of £50.15 in June, up by four per cent on the same month of 2013.

Revenue per available room for the Scottish hotel sector in June came in at £67.12, up by 5.6 per cent on the same month of last year.

This was well ahead of a corresponding rooms yield figure of £48.81 for hotels in England, outside London. Hotels in Wales recorded a rooms yield of £42.20.

Occupancy in Scottish hotels came in at 83.3 per cent in June, down slightly from 83.9 per cent in the same month of 2013.

BDO partner Alastair Rae said: "Although the occupancy figure fell slightly, this is to be expected as prices rise. Although the revenue increase was not the largest, the overall figure of £67.12 is considerably greater than the other parts of the UK.

"Indeed a £16 revenue difference between Scotland and the rest of the UK is healthy."

Mr Rae added: "The Edinburgh boost in revenue is undoubtedly down to the lengthy tourism season the city now enjoys.

"It is no longer focused just on July and August but stretches a couple of months either side, giving the capital a six-month-strong tourist period."