WAKE UP! OUR TOURISM INDUSTRY IS ON THE ROAD TO RUIN
Tourism cash plea by Lady Claire
ONE of Scotland’s most celebrated food writers has criticised successive governments for ‘failing and damaging’ the country’s tourism industry.
Lady Claire Macdonald argues that ‘highly taxed’ tourism has never received the investment it deserves.
Writing in today’s Scottish Mail on Sunday, Lady Macdonald – who set up one of Scotland’s finest hotels, Kinloch Lodge in Skye, with husband Lord Godfrey, Chief of the Macdonalds – brands the country’s roads ‘appalling’ and urges the Scottish and UK Governments to cut business rates and VAT to boost the tourism industry.
She says it has been failed, neglected and damaged by successive governments.
Last night, Scottish Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop insisted tourism was ‘flourishing’. She added that the sector employs 217,000 people, generates around £11 billion in economic activity and has grown in each year since 2011.
FROM the breathtaking majesty of misty mountain peaks to the simple pleasures of a freshly baked scone and a welcoming smile, you don’t need me to tell you Scotland’s glories are many. We are so lucky to live in a country people want to visit – one that Rough Guide readers recently voted the most beautiful in the world.
In Skye, my own corner of Scotland, we enjoy perhaps the best of it all – the towering Cuillins, spectacular wildlife, romantic castles and fantastic food. Visitors who come here in their thousands seem to agree.
And yet what appears to be a huge success story has prompted recent unwelcome and very damaging headlines.
Some complain too many cars clog up roads, or that visitors are leaving litter – and worse – for residents to clean up. They argue we can take no more; that we are no longer open for business; that our wonderful Isle of Skye is full.
This is complete nonsense – and deeply frustrating for those of us who take pride in our marvellous industry.
Skye is a magical island and while there are a couple of very well-publicised and very busy beauty spots, at nearly 700 square miles, there are vast and stunning areas which are virtually empty – even in the middle of July and August.
Visitors must never think they’re not welcome.
But what this episode does do is illuminate some uncomfortable truths about the way Scottish tourism has been failed, neglected and thus damaged by successive governments in Edinburgh and London.
When my husband Godfrey – the 34th hereditary Chief of the Macdonald clan – and I opened Kinloch Lodge in Skye 46 years ago, we had no formal tourism qualifications. Everything we have learned about the business since then, we have learned while doing the job – and from our wonderful visitors along the way.
Part of that learning process has been coming to realise the many tremendous things about Scotland’s tourist industry. I am immersed in the food industry – I hold cookery demonstrations and have written 23 books – and we are blessed to produce fresh food that is second to none.
The weather can be an issue but no one comes to Scotland for the weather.
And speaking as someone from England who married a Scot, Scotland’s warmth and hospitality are truly unique – even if Scottish modesty means we often don’t hear about them.
However, those in government roles have never given tourism the importance that it not only deserves but which is essential. It is a vitally important industry for Scotland, both as a source of employment and in generating wealth. In 2015, we welcomed 5.84 million visitors worth more than £11 billion for the economy.
For too long, those in power have taken for granted our fabulous scenery, our incredible wildlife, our fascinating architecture, our glorious and compelling history.
The great mistake we make in Scotland, though, is to think that we are unique. We are not.
Most of our European competitors can also offer these things – and more cheaply.
The truth is that Scottish tourism is presently in a very sensitive state. And it’s high time it was given the attention and financial input it is due by both Westminster and Holyrood.
Unlike most of our competitors, the UK levies VAT on tourism at 20 per cent. In Europe, the rate is only 5, 8 or 10 per cent. That is an enormous difference and puts us at a huge cost disadvantage.
Britain is an expensive destination. That is not so obvious at present because of the weak pound, which has encouraged people to come here. But it is a problem that needs to be taken seriously and addressed now by the UK Government.
Tourism is a very highly taxed industry and business rates in Scotland – the preserve of the Scottish Government – are a nightmare for the industry.
There are other issues, too, which need to be addressed – most importantly, infrastructure. Plainly put: we must look after our visitors better. For example, there is a serious lack of toilet facilities or picnicking areas along our roads.
Cross the Channel and it doesn’t matter where you drive, there are regular and wellsigned places where you can pull off the road, go to the loo, let the dog out or the children run about. This matters very much to travellers.
THERE should be a designated Minister for Tourism, not one combined with energy or anything else. It’s an old-fashioned attitude to view tourism as an add-on. Tourism is more important than any other aspect of industry in Scotland today and the sooner the powers that be realise that, the better.
For those of us working on the front line, it’s important that we have an ability to smile and to really care that guests are having a good time. To have a working knowledge of our area and be able to help and advise.
And above all else, to give value for money. Quality, too often, is confused with expense and they’re not the same thing.
Quality is found in the simplest things. Lighting a log fire early in the morning, if the weather’s bad. Simple food, freshly prepared from scratch. Doing your utmost and best.
Nowhere else do you find the genuine warmth and hospitality of Scotland. It’s the most remarkable, wonderful country.
There are an awful lot of people who want to promote the positivity in this great industry and our pride in it. It can be done – but we’ve got to get our elected representatives onside and aware. Some locally – such as our MP Ian Blackford and MSP Kate Forbes – already enthusiastically support our industry. But not all.
Tourism industries should be top of Nicola Sturgeon’s list of priorities because we provide the money for so much else. But we’re not getting investment back. We need politicians to wake up and realise this.
I know improvements mean spending. But we owe it to our visitors, who contribute so much, to provide them with the proper basics.
Those who experience the best we can give them are far more likely to come back – and to recommend that their friends come too.