Tourism jobs grow
The number of people working in the tourism industry in Stirling increased by 12 per cent in one year.
Statistics released by Visitscotland show that there are now 5800 jobs supported by the industry. This figure makes up 13 per cent of the total jobs in the area.
Across Scotland there has been an increase of 11 per cent in those working in tourism, with the number growing to 317,000 between 2014 and 2015.
Of this 41 per cent work in restaurants, 24 per cent work in hotels and other accommodation and 17 per cent in bars and related businesses.
Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford said the figures show that the tourism industry in Stirling has a bright future.
He said:“Our tourism industry is going from strength to strength and this increase in jobs shows the vital role that tourism plays in Scotland’s economy and particularly across the Stirling constituency.
“With Scotland ranked second in the Rough Guides list of the best countries in the world to visit this year, tourism in Stirling has a very bright future.”
Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of Visitscotland, said:“These fantastic new figures show that, from hotel owners to waiting staff, tourism really is the driving force for providing the jobs of today and tomorrow.“They also demonstrate the industry’s commitment to the 2020 strategy which aims to generate economic growth through tourism.”