Meet and greet

The SNP Government is spending £6 million of public money on an advertising campaign in the US. Since the government don’t know about these things, they have thrown a chunk of cash to Lucid People Ltd who “Move Brands Forward”. They are based in Brighton, somewhere south of Hadrian’s Wall. They recommend no mention of God, 007 or golf.

Meanwhile at the coal face, festival volunteers such as Donald Millar have the answer, if only someone in authority bothered to ask (Letters, 24 August).

Spending £6m of taxpayers money on a politically correct campaign in the US to attract more visitors will make the problem worse, not better.

Like Mr Millar, I have encountered numerous foreign visitors to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Helensburgh who had no idea of the local attractions within easy reach. There is a mistaken belief that a mobile device with access to Google will provide instant answers. An old-fashioned map and a local guidebook are much better.

The Government should spend the money hiring folk with local knowledge of Scotland, equip them with maps and guidebooks and send these ambassadors out onto the streets of Scotland to greet visitors and provide the information they lack.

The visitor experience seems to have adopted the US approach to tourism. All visitors must visit Skye, where the

one attraction they must visit is the Fairy Glen. The result? Gridlock on the single lane access road and a dismal experience for visitors and locals alike.

We need to meet and greet visitors. Let them know about the secret places we know about but they don’t and spread the visitor load around the country. This meet and greet should start at the airport and continue in the hotels and on the streets. This is where the government money should be spent.

A satisfied customer is the best advert for any business.

JOHN BLACK

The Scottish Jacobite Party Woodhollow House

Helensburgh