Skye holiday home providers brace for £9m virus decimation

Holiday homes and bed and breakfasts on Skye stand to lose £9 million this year as coronavirus decimates the island’s tourism sector, it has been claimed.

Figures show the potential impact of the virus on the island’s economy, with 75 per cent of those who own bedand-breakfasts or self-catering accommodation relying on visitors for their main source of income.

Dave Till, chairman of business group Skye Connect, said the reality of how coronavirus will affect island business was becoming clear. He said there were almost 400 self catering or bed-and-breakfast businesses on Skye.

Mr Till said: “If we extrapolate the results of the survey to the entire B&b/selfcatering sector, we could be looking at £9m that may be lost from these businesses as a result of lockdown.

“This is just one part of the tourism industry and so we are starting to see the real economic impact of this crisis.”

Skye attracts around 500,000 visitors a year, with the number of trips significantly rising in recent years given the reputation of its stunning natural beauty and island hospitality. Mr Till welcomed the Scottish Government’s recent move to open up the small business grant scheme to owners of bed-and-breakfasts and self-catering holiday homes.

However, a “sense of desperation” was still being felt in the industry given delays in getting government funding to businesses and some banks failing to offer 0 per cent loans as indicated. Sligachan Hotel owner and Skyeconnect board member Gary Curley said: “Tourism on Skye is seasonal.wehavejustcomeoutof one winter with little income. Covid-19 has brought another winter with total shutdown.”