STA responds to Scottish Government’s Draft Budget
Marc Crothall, Chief Executive of The Scottish Tourism Alliance said:
“The Scottish Tourism Alliance welcomes the announcements made in today’s draft budget, many of which have been outlined clearly in our direct asks to the Scottish Government on behalf of Scotland’s tourism industry.
As we move towards the launch of Scotland’s future tourism strategy and headline actions on the 4th March, we are encouraged at the supportive measures for businesses announced today, one of which will see 95% of properties paying a lower poundage in business rates than the rest of the UK in addition to business rates relief for many businesses.
This is hugely positive news for the tourism sector in particular and I am sure that many of our businesses will welcome the opportunity to capitalise on this relief and turn thoughts towards investment in their product and people.
We are particularly encouraged by the Scottish Government’s commitment to investing in infrastructure. Our connectivity, transport and infrastructure is without a doubt one of the most important areas which has lacked sustained investment; it is absolutely critical that this continues to be a priority policy if we are to deliver the vision of the future strategy of being the world leaders in 21st century tourism.
We also welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to invest in our destinations, with the announcement of £201M for city deals and the £28M for South of Scotland Enterprise which will support the creation and delivery of new and better experiences for visitors to Scotland in line with the expectations and demands of today’s visitor.
Overall, we are encouraged by the support for businesses, infrastructure and our destinations which we would expect to see the Scottish Government build on this commitment to ensure the successful delivery of Scotland’s future tourism strategy.”
