Press statement: Scottish Tourism Alliance responds to First Minister’s announcement of detailed route map out of lockdown
Marc Crothall, Chief Executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance said;
The First Minister’s announcement of an indicative timeline for the phased reopening of our tourism and hospitality sector will be massively welcomed by the sector today; it is the most positive news we have received in a long time.
The STA has been in discussion with the Scottish Government on almost a daily basis over the past few weeks to highlight the need for a clearer route out of lockdown to be given to tourism businesses and our supply chain, not only to allow for the necessary timeframe to plan for reopening, but to protect the many thousands of jobs which are at risk.
Today’s announcement will offer some very much needed light at the end of what has been the darkest tunnel for our industry.
One of the biggest challenges for tourism businesses has been the restrictions around travel throughout the country which will be removed as of 26th April allowing all tourist accommodation, cafes and restaurants the opportunity to open, 50 guests to attend weddings and our tourist attractions and adventure operators to start operating again.
The sector has been closed for the majority of the past year; every aspect of the route map announced this afternoon offers us a more solid pathway for securing and protecting jobs and the ability to plan for reopening in accordance with government guidelines, building consumer confidence that when visitors choose to return, it will be safe to do so.
Concern remains around the impact of the loss of our international market which will continue to be felt acutely by many sectors who are dependent on our global markets to trade viably, but it was encouraging to hear the First Minister to discussions set to take place with the travel industry and refer to a review of this mid-May.
It’s absolutely critical that continued tailored financial support, by way of grants is made available to those who won’t be in a position to open and trade viably until we move into the much lower levels; the up-front restart grants will be very welcomed to assist with that outlay.
The detail announced today will I know come as a huge relief for so many and we look forward to posing further questions to the First Minister over the course of the coming days for an exclusive interview which will form part of the STA’s virtual conference programme on 24th March.
We hugely appreciate the level of consultation between the Scottish Government, the STA and our colleagues within the sectoral groups and their willingness to listen and respond favourably to the recommendations which have been presented.
We of course acknowledge that these dates are provisional and are committed to working in a safe and professional manner to minimise risk and ensure that our tourism industry can play a key part in the rebuild and recovery of Scotland’s economy.”
