Locals fear a tourist ‘flood’

TOURISM chiefs yesterday warned of the dangers of ‘opening the floodgates’ to visitors once people can travel again.

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, said communities must ‘feel safe’ before the expected reopening of the hospitality sector on July 15.

Mr Roughead said this date will give firms time to bring staff out of furlough for retraining and help to ‘stave off redundancies’.

But he added: ‘There is a bit of work we need to do to make communities feel secure. It has got to be done in conjunction with the industry and the community, so it is done safely and at a pace that suits business and the community.

‘The worst thing we can do is open the floodgates and get a negative reaction.’

Gordon Watson, chief executive of Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, said: ‘We all have a vital role to play in moving out of lockdown safely.’