Tourism warning for FM
Thousands of holidaymakers poised to shun staycations and head down south
Fi rst Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said hotels, bars, restaurants and visitor attractions should be able to open on July 15 if Covid-19 cases continue to fall.
But the hospital ity sector south of the Border has been given the green light to restart on July 4 – leading to fears thousands of Scottish families will abandon plans for a summer staycation and head there instead.
The exodus is likely to be triggered when travel restrictions are removed 24 hours earlier. It has also emerged fewer than a third of tourist attractions plan to open in
Scotland when allowed because the two-metre social distancing rule will leave them “unviable”. The restriction has been reduced to one metre in England.
UK Hospitality Scottish executive director Wi l lie Macleod said: “The later date is a disappointment and we’ll see residents in Scotland choosing to holiday in England – the Lake District, Cornwall will do very well.
“The tourism industry is worth £11billion a year to the Scottish economy, so losing over a week at the peak of the season will be a huge blow.
“This is a time when people would be hoping to operate at 100 per cent capacity and we normally see 50 or even 60 per cent of the total v isitor spending. We could easily be losing £300million in turnover over that 11 days.
“The other absolutely crucial thing is the two-metre social distancing. I’ve been on a call with the First Minister and she seems to acutely understand the balance that has to be struck between protecting public health and the economy.
“I think we’ll move closer to one metre, certainly a lot of businesses can’t operate viably at two.”
Scottish B& B Association chairman David Weston revealed customers are already heading to England.
He said: “I was speaking to a B&B owner who said she had an inquiry the other day from someone for early July and she had to say no – the customer said they would just book in England.
“We may never get these people coming back to Scotland and everyone loses out because if people aren’t
staying, nobody is taking any money in.”
The Scottish Government set out the dates when it plans to relax more lockdown restrictions last Wednesday.
They include lifting the fivemile travel limit from July 3, allowing people to meet other households indoors from July 10 and reopening pubs, restaurants, holiday accommodation and hairdressers from July 15.
A number of rules had already been eased as Scotland entered phase two earlier this month and further changes will take place on June 29.
Paul Waterson, owner of the Golden Lion hotel in Stirling and a spokesman for the licensed trade industry, added: “There’s no doubt the 11 days between Scotland and England reopening is a problem.
“For most people I speak to, a reduction in the two-metre rule will be the crucial factor in deciding whether it’s worth opening at all. Even at one metre some people are taking stock and deciding whether they have a business to return to.”
Gordon Morrison, CEO of the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions, revealed fewer than a third of attractions planned to open on July 15 because owners do not believe they can function profitably.
He said :“We surveyed members and the response was that only 31 per cent said they would open on July 15 because of the simple reality of costs versus return.
“People don’t think they can get the required number of visitors to make money. This is because of the two- metre physical distancing rules. People don’t think they’ll get the capacity.”
Sturgeon has also said beer gardens can open from July 6 – after disappointment the measure was not introduced earlier. Scottish Beer and Pub Association spokesman Paul Togneri said: “The Government here is clearly taking a more cautious approach and that will have implications in the short term, even if it’s the right thing for public health in the long run.”
Politicians have also demanded the Government step i n a nd suppor t businesses forced to stay closed longer and already fighting for survival.
Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael said: “B& Bs, hotels and tourist attractions have been under severe f inancia l strain throughout this pandemic. Many are worried that the combination of hesitant travellers and the late summer start will hit their income even more.”
Scottish Conservative leader
Jackson Carlaw added: “The SNP is forcing these business to stay closed for an additional two weeks – that means it’s up to the SNP to make up the difference.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Tourism is one of Scotland’s greatest assets and we have been clear we want to get the sector operating as soon as it is safe to do so.
“While we have been clear that we do not want these difficulties to last any longer than is necessary, we equally will not act in a way that puts our progress against this virus at risk.”
Yesterday, it was revealed there have been no deaths of people who tested positive for coronavirus in Scotland for a second day running, with the number of Covid-19 fatalities under this measure remaining at 2842.
There were 15 new confirmed coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of positive tests to 18,228.
Losing over a week at the peak of the season will be a huge blow