Businesses in national park set for influx of visitors

Businesses in the Cairngorms are gearing up for a busy season as Covid restrictions ease throughout the summer.

Locals are in ‘preparation mode’ after the ‘Stay At Home’ rule was lifted earlier this month after more than three months.

April 5 also saw the re-opening of more retail outlets and from April 26 travel within all of mainland Scotland will be permitted.

Between mid-July and the end of September last year more than one million visitors headed to enjoy the open spaces of the Cairngorms National Park.

And, as the pathway out of lockdown becomes clearer, the park’s businesses are promising to open “in a safe way” that gives confidence to communities, employers and visitors to start rebuilding the local economy.

Chief executive of the Cairngorms Business Partnership, Mark Tate, said: “Last year everybody – communities and businesses together - worked hard to welcome visitors and locals with confidence, so visitors could enjoy a safe experience, we are not aware of a single visitor-related Covid case from the 1,000,000-plus visitors we welcomed between July and September.

“Businesses know how important it is to get re-opening right because our communities are an integral part of the visitor experience and, in turn, visitors are an integral part of the sustainability of our communities.”

Many businesses are already welcoming local visitors and gearing up to maximum capacity ahead of the peak summer holiday season, which is an opportunity to attract new, loyal guests who would usually travel abroad.

Mr Tate is mindful that, while the re-opening of the Cairngorms National Park last year was an overall success, there were particular challenges that are being addressed.

He said: “We are collaborating with our public sector partners to mitigate some of the challenges faced last year.

“We know that for communities in the few hotspot areas impacted, last year did not feel like a success.

“We have been working with many businesses to ensure that they can open with confidence and offer visitors the exceptional facilities and experiences they have come to expect in the Cairngorms.”

As the national park begins to see more visitors, the Cairngorms Business Partnership and the National Park Authority, under the #CairngormsTogether framework, is asking people to know the guidelines, plan ahead, be flexible and be kind.

The business partnership has launched the website www.status. visitcairngorms.com to enable visitors and locals to see what local businesses are open as the area emerges from lockdown.