Chinese tourism f irm gets £700k of your cash

A CHINESE tourism company has been paid nearly £700,000 to ‘sell Scotland’.

The sum, according to a contract awarded by quango VisitScotland, is to help ‘inspire’ Chinese to travel to the Highlands as part of the Covid recovery strategy.

But the decision has been condemned amid concern at China’s ‘shocking record’ on human rights and anger that struggling Scottish firms have been overlooked for the ‘extremely valuable’ deal.

It comes four years after Nicola Sturgeon was pictured with James Jianzhang Liang, co-founder of the firm that has been awarded the cash, on a visit to China.

Mr Liang’s Trip.com Group, which is one of Asia’s most successful tourism businesses, will receive £675,000 to promote links in China.

Based in Shanghai, Trip.com Group makes more than £5 billion a year and Mr Liang is one of China’s most prominent businessmen.

During her 2018 Beijing visit, Ms Sturgeon said her meeting with China’s vice premier Hu Chunhua had been constructive and spoke of the ‘long-standing friendship between Scotland and China’.

Last night, Hazel Sellar, VisitScotland market development manager for China, said: ‘China was Scotland’s fastest-growing international market before the pandemic and the latest research suggests a pent-up demand for travel.’

A contract summary says: ‘Visit Scotland has contracted with an online travel agency with expertise in the leisure travel sector in China to work with VisitScotland to deliver a range of marketing and promotional activities in support of VisitScotland’s international postCovid recovery strategy by inspiring visitors and selling Scotland.’

But Scottish Tory Covid recovery spokesman Murdo Fraser said: ‘Eyebrows will be raised at the SNP Government’s decision to spend £600,000 of taxpayers’ money on promoting links with China given their shocking record on human rights and refusal to acknowledge Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.’

He added: ‘Tourism businesses across Scotland will be questioning whether this was the best way to support their recovery from the pandemic when so many are crying out for direct funding.’ Scottish Labour culture spokesman Sarah Boyack said: ‘This would have been an excellent opportunity to empower and promote Scottish marketing firms.

‘Instead, the Minister has allowed VisitScotland to sell off a contract abroad. This is another example, amongst many, of the SNP selling off Scotland.’

Yesterday, when asked during the SNP local elections manifesto launch about the contract, Ms Sturgeon declined to comment.