The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Shaping up for a new challenge
Scotland is rightly known across the globe for the warmth of its welcome. As a nation, we are good at extending the hand of friendship and that has allowed us to build up a strong reputation for our hospitality and our excellent food and drink offer.
We have top chefs – the two Michelinstarred Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles has just been named amongst the top UK’s top 10 eateries in the 2017 Good Food Guide – we have brilliant produce and we have some of the most stunning settings in the world in which to showcase them.
But tourism and hospitality is everevolving and, in such a competitive environment, standing still is tantamount to going backwards.
It seems it is a case of good is not necessarily good enough.
That’s certainly the view of Brett Davidge, general manager of Dundee’s Apex City Quay Hotel, who has one eye on the impact on Tayside and Fife of the opening of the V&A Dundee design museum in 2018.
In this month’s Business Matters, Brett talks to Andrew Argo about an expected change to the profile of visitors to the area, with the V&A likely to draw more international jet-setters to the banks of the Tay than ever before.
He sees the change as a challenge to everyone in the industry to further drive standards to ensure that every visitor leaves having had the best possible experience.
Standards is also a word very heavily associated with the British Hospitality Association.
The BHA’s executive director for Scotland William Macleod also wants to see the sector – which directly employs more than a quarter of a million people north of the border – push forward and flourish.
In fact, it is his mission to make the Scottish hospitality trade the finest in the world.
But there are obstacles to overcome if that mission is to be successful – not least the thorny issue of VAT on tourism services which immediately places the UK at a competitive disadvantage compared to many other countries.
Meanwhile, regular contributor Ian Forsyth has been looking at how Brexit may impact on the £14 billion food and drink sector and has been chatting with local producers and retailers about the prospects for their businesses.
We also take a look at the burgeoning craft drinks industry in Scotland – a sector led by taste, passion, produce and a ‘mad professor’!
August’s Business Matters has some sage advice for firms facing cashflow difficulties, while a local commercial property expert has details of a new costs burden being faced by landlords of large, energy inefficient buildings.
We bring you all the latest business news, while columnist Liz Cameron rounds out this month’s offering by flagging up a potentially costly April Fools’ Day shock heading the way of Scottish companies next year.
Enjoy.
Tourism and hospitality is ever-evolving. In such a competitive environment, standing still is tantamount to going backwards