Meanwhile, VisitScotland encourages everyone to support businesses in its new festive campaign #ScotlandLovesLocal
Despite the challenges of 2020, Scotland’s tourism industry has opened its doors and hearts to people across the country and VisitScotland believes now is the time to return the love and show support.
In a new festive campaign, the national tourism organisation is calling on Scots to ‘love local’ this Christmas and support tourism during its time of need.
The Arran Banner has been heavily promoting shopping locally in the run-up to Christmas and the latest campaign highlights that supporting local businesses this winter offers the best chance of protecting them for the future.
Working with partners across the country, the campaign will use the organisation’s hugely popular website and social channels to showcase the vast range of gifts, products and experiences people can enjoy on their doorstep. Worth more than £11.5 billion to the Scottish economy, and supporting one in 12 jobs, the Scottish tourism industry has been devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic, subsequent lockdown and travel restrictions.
Regardless of this, throughout the pandemic stories of innovation and kindness emerged as businesses offered free stays to front line workers, made hand sanitisers for communities, and reinvented their products and services to make life easier for those unable to travel.
When tourism reopened on July 15, those within the industry worked tirelessly to make experiences safe and enjoyable once again.
The arrival of new restrictions, in what is traditionally a quieter time of year, has once again hit the industry hard, prompting VisitScotland to call on people across the country to return the favour, supporting the sector that supported them through it all.
Examples of kindness and innovation during the pandemic have been numerous on Arran among shops and businesses and the Isle20 marketplace is a fantastic collaboration of products from across the Scottish islands including Arran.
The national tourism organisation has also created a dedicated advice page at visitscotland.org, where businesses can learn how to get involved, as well as accessing advice on promoting themselves. Gordon Smith, regional director for VisitScotland, said: ‘We know that 2020 has been tough for everyone, particularly for those in our valuable, vibrant tourism industry. Yet many of our tourism businesses in Ayrshire and Arran selflessly put the public’s needs first – creating takeaway services and adapting their offerings so we could safely enjoy exploring our own area. Now many of these tourism businesses are worried for their future and it is our time to support them. Our new love local campaign aims to help people in Ayrshire and Arran support their local businesses and in turn their communities.
To find out more about #ScotlandLovesLocal and learn more about some great ways to support local businesses this December visit: www. VisitScotland.com/LoveLocal