Tourism chiefs call for Sturgeon showdown

Tourism chief sin Scotland are demanding faceto-face talks with Ni cola Sturgeon to set her straight about the“reality” facing the industry after the SNP axed plans to cut airline taxes in Scotland.

The move has prompted an angry backlash among Scotland’ s business community and the Scottish Tourism Alliance( ST A) said it was a “significant blow” for the future of the industry which will also da ma gee conomic growth in Scotland. The pledge to cut Air Departure Tax (ADT) by 50 per cent had been in the S NP’ sm an if est of or the 2016 elections.

“This policy would have been a game changer for Scotland’s tourism industry and a huge boost to our economy and indeed public finance and employment,” a statement by the STA said.

PICTURE: IAN GEORGESON 0 The launch of Hainan Airlines’s direct route between Beijing and Edinburgh was met with great fanfare – now it appears to be under threat