Skye MSP invites CNN to visit island

SKYE MSP Kate Forbes has personally invited US-based television giant CNN to visit the island after the broadcaster controversially listed Skye on a 12-strong global list of destinations to avoid because of claims of overcrowding.

Last week Ms Forbes rubbished the report by the CNN Travel programme, and insisted that Skye is very much open for business.

And now the MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch has sent a personal invitation to CNN’s travel editor Brekke Fletcher to visit the island in person.

‘Skye is home to people who live and work there all year round. The tourism industry, with all its pros and cons, employs a lot of people either directly or indirectly,’ said Ms Forbes.

‘In turn, that supports local schools, local shops and local services. Therefore to turn visitors away undermines the very industry which supports so much of the local economy.’

She added that she understood how the rapid growth in visitors to Skye meant there was pressure on key sites but added that this was down to the stunning scenery, delicious food and drink, and warm welcome that awaits visitors.

‘Seeing is believing and that is why I’ve invited the CNN Travel team to see Skye and the West Highlands for themselves.

‘It is unrivalled, and is also creating hundreds of jobs,’ said Ms Forbes. ‘Visitors are welcome although they need to respect the natural environment and the people who live here year round.’

The American media company said the island’s infrastructure ‘creaked under the pressure’ from visitors last year.

CNN claimed: ‘In 2017, the infrastructure of Scotland’s largest island creaked under the pressure as thousands of tourists in coaches and cars plied its narrow lanes, making a beeline for the remote fairy pools at Glenbrittle, the iconic sunset spot at Elgol and the rocky Old Man of Storr, with traffic snarlups an inevitable result.

‘Eventually the residents of beautiful Skye said enough was enough after complaints of noise, overcrowding and even visitors urinating in public. Police advised visitors to stay away unless they had already booked places to stay.’

CNN advised people to visit outwith the summer season ‘when tourist numbers drop and sites can be explored without having to battle crowds’. Instead, the company said to explore the Small Isles of Rum, Muck and Eigg ‘or go south and get lost on Jura’.

Also making the list were Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Venice, Santorini, Bhutan, the Taj Mahal, Mount Everest (Nepal-side), Machu Picchu, Galápagos Islands, Cinque Terre and Antarctica.