Town must keep on reminding world of what it has to offer

A global destination of some repute for decades, St Andrews has not been immune to the damage caused by the coronavirus.

But Debbie McCallum, chairwoman of Tourism St Andrews, firmly believes the Fife town will thrive once again if everyone plays their part.

She says keeping what the town currently has to offer intact, by and large, should be the first priority and that can act as a springboard for St Andrews bouncing back when the crisis is over.

“Our hearts, our community and our unique, special town will still be here and St Andrews will still be a number one destination for many visitors, whether they be from the UK or much further afield,” she said.

“People visit us for many reasons and we therefore need our infrastructure, our shops, our bars, our restaurants and a vibrant high street to remain intact.

“This is probably the most difficult challenge for us given the compulsory closure of so many businesses, venues and attractions and the challenge of commercial interruption to fragile businesses with limited cashflow resources.

“Even with government aid, the uncertainty of the longevity of this crisis does not offer any comfort in the long term.

“So we, as locals and as a community, need to step up and do what we can, to support our local businesses and to shop locally where and when we can.”

While the return of international university students either in September or January will no doubt be critical to the revival of the town and its businesses, Tourism St Andrews has also pinpointed the scheduled return of the Open championship to the Old Course in 2021 as key towards getting an international audience back to Fife.

With that in mind, Tourism St Andrews will work with the “Scotland Will Wait” social media campaign and deliver its own “St Andrews Will Wait” campaign while promoting the “Stay Safe, Stay Home” message.

“It is important for us to offer a glimpse of the future and a reminder of what will still be here in St Andrews when this pandemic is over,” Ms McCallum added.

“In the early stages of recovery, supporting staycation campaigns will be key and we as a town need to work together to be ready for this.”

An empty St Andrews as the lockdown continues.