STA Activity – October

September has been an exceptionally busy month in terms of the amount of political engagement the STA has undertaken.

We welcomed Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Culture and External Affairs to our Board meeting at the beginning of the month for a positive and productive discussion on issues such as the introduction of a tourist tax, funding for our destinations, skills, the future workforce, Brexit, migration, cutting VAT and the depopulation crisis that Scotland is facing.

Later that week we attended a Scottish Government round table Aviation Summit with Derek Mackay, Fiona Hyslop and Michael Mathieson to discuss the issues, challenges and opportunities for Scotland’s airports and our global connectivity in relation to tourism and export.

Marc was present at a bi-annual round table with Scotland’s trade bodies and Kate Forbes, Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy to discuss challenges across all of our sectors, he also travelled to London to meet with our Alliance counterparts from across the UK, met with ASVA, attended a Brexit lunch with Pinsent Mason and the Springboard Advisory Board meeting.

The STA Board and UKHospitality hosted a dinner in September, inviting former Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell MP to speak and we had our quarterly Council meeting to update Council members on the draft strategy and our work on the next STA Policy Agenda.

Another busy month with lots more coming up in our diaries, our aim always being to ensure that we bring information back to you from trusted sources and the ‘powers that be’ and that we continue to represent your voice at the highest level.