STA Update – 23 March
Evidence presented by the STA Council
Over the weekend, Marc Crothall our CEO was in regular dialogue with Cabinet Secretaries and civil servants sharing the industry reactions to the welcomed announcements on Friday.
Marc invited the STA Council, at the request of government officials, to share what they saw as the gaps in the relief and support announced last week.
Each Council member provided a summary of the issues and concerns that remain which have been presented to government and Cabinet officials today.
- The following are the key priority issues that have been presented and we are focussing on at the moment:
- Much greater support is needed for all self employed working in the sector
- Clear and concise clarification on the closure of businesses – we need to know what type of businesses should close and for this to be legally enforced closure
- Clarity on how the 80% furlough payment works and the conditions that apply
- Stressing the urgency for businesses to be able to access grants and cash
- How better to support businesses that fall outside of the business rates system
- Insurance – more must be done to push the insurance industry to accept CV19 as a cause for Business Interruption
Our priorities will shift on a day to day basis as our situation is so fast moving but please be assured that huge amounts of work are happening behind the scenes to move all of this forward by email, phone and that this is happening around the clock.
Supporting our Workforce
To be able to match displaced employees (temporary or permanent) to other sectors of industry that urgently need to recruit staff, we hope to be in a position to reveal a dedicated portal for the sector in the coming days.
STA and Tourism Industry Council Meetings – 25 March
An emergency STA Council meeting will take place on 25th March and Fergus Ewing MSP, Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Tourism will join the call for an hour to share his thoughts and hear directly from Council members.
Marc will also attend the UK Industry Council meeting on the 25th March for updates from the UK Tourism Minister and will feedback directly Scotland’s tourism industry views.
Mental Health
This is the most intensely stressful and worrying time which our industry has ever experienced. Finding our new normal is not easy by any means and the feeling of fear is at times overwhelming.
Without question, this will be having a huge impact on everyone’s mental health – we’re all moving from feeling ok to taking large dips and so on. People are exhausted and struggling to make sense of everything and it is all changing so fast.
If you or any of your employees are needing some support, please do take it. There are many organisations there to help, some are listed below:
Sharing evidence with Secretary of State for Scotland
On Friday, Marc had a private call with the Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack MP to discuss what urgent support is needed for Scotland’s tourism businesses. We will now be providing Alister Jack MP with regular updates with case studies of tourism businesses who have been impacted by Coronavirus. We will also continue to build this database and share with all politicians and policy makers.
VisitScotland Covid-19 Tourism Industry Survey for Week Ending: 20/03/2020
VisitScotland is closely monitoring the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) situation as it evolves and alongside its activities to provide advice and support during this difficult time, the organisation is proactively tracking the effects of Coronavirus on the industry. This is a rapidly changing situation and it’s important for VisitScotland, with your valued regular input, to be able to monitor developments.
This survey will be undertaken regularly to contribute to our understanding of the impact of this outbreak, should you receive further requests to participate in forthcoming weeks we would appreciate your ongoing support.
Your responses will remain anonymous.
This wave of the survey will close at 12 noon on Monday 30 March.
Please click here to complete.
