Summer staycations in doubt amid lack of bookings in tourism sector

Scottish tourism businesses have warned of a dearth of bookings as the Scottish Government cast further doubt over the viability of staycations this summer. Self catering accommodation providers said that bookings in January, usually the busiest month as people begin to make summer plans, had been “non existent”.

Their comments come as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she “hoped” that people would be able to take staycations within Scotland this summer, but said she could not guarantee it.

Fiona Campbell, chief executive of The Association of Scotland's Self-caterers, said: “We are not seeing any rise in bookings as there is no consumer confidence. January is usually our busiest ever bookings month, but this year, nothing.

“I do think we’ll be in a similar position as we were last summer, in terms of self catering being the holiday of choice, but we’re still massively impacted by travel restrictions. People just don’t want to commit to bookings. We have nothing coming in.”

She said that the First Minister’s refusal to guarantee a summer domestic tourist season was “catastrophic” for the industry.

Marc Crothall, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, said: “Seventy per cent of tourism in Scotland is domestic. As international travel in the near future is likely to be zero, the staycation market becomes even that much more important for businesses which are just trying to stay afloat.

"What I am getting from members is that there is a degree of caution, especially at the front end, such as Easter, the uncertainty is there.”